Liberty City Drift
by Wave Ripper
Summary: Masamune has returned to his everyday life after having been through many tough battles. Now that he is back to having fun battle's he sets his sights on a new battling style. (Re-written)
1. Liberty City

Challenge: Liberty City

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It had been a long time since the World Championship tournament, celebrations had come and gone. Soon afterwards a new threat had arrived along with new friends and new battles. All of this, however, soon faded away as time pressed on, much as it usually does. Masamune, along with his two best friends, and returned to their everyday lives. This consisted of the three friends going to school like the rest of their friends, aside from Gingka and his usual group since they had already graduated.

For a blader like Masamune he knew that Gingka would find a way to get paid doing the one thing he was actually good at, and that was battling. As for the spikey haired blader, he was having to go to school. Now normally going to school isn't such a bad thing, although when you are a stranger amongst a school that has groups of people wanting to kick the ever loving shit out of you each day, it is a bad thing. Every day he would strap his launcher and bey close to him in the event that some unlucky soul tried to hurt him in any way, Blitz Striker was his only companion at this school.

His two best friends, Toby and Zeo, were located at a better school across the city which meant Masamune was having to fend himself during the first eight hours of the day. Since the defeat of Nemesis news of the bladers victory had slowly died down to the point where people thought it was nothing but a made up story. After all, not every part of the world could be affected by one bey, the world just doesn't work like that. Masamune had now become a faceless and nameless blader amongst his fellow classmates making it easy for him to hide from people wanting to get into fights.

Setting his launcher and bey inside of a tray that was set on top of a moving conveyer belt that would take it through a small tunnel, this tunnel would ID everything that was inside of the items. Walking through a metal detector the spikey haired blader looked to his right to see the school's mascot being taken through another detector. Not even the student council could get out of going through the schools detectors. Most people in the school felt like this was a prison, military base, and everything in between all mixed into one. However this was only an exaggeration.

Spreading out his arms the self-proclaimed number one blader could hear a beeping sound being emitted from a handheld metal detector. Rolling his eyes the blader took of his belt and set it near his launcher. Sticking his arms out again the blader felt the metal detector go around his body, this time the device kept silent allowing him to take his stuff and press on.

The sun was slowly going down after a long eight hour school day, and while he normally would fell like battling Masamune just shook his head. He looked as if his blader spirit had been sucked straight out of his body. Walking past a small alley way between two buildings he could see a lower classmen being picked on by a group of athletes and other upper classmen. Gripping his launcher the blader thought about helping the kid out but when he saw one of the other class men give him a look that said to stay away, Masamune took the silent advice. Attaching his launcher to his shorts the blader pressed on knowing full well that the kid was going to be severely hurt before he even sat in his used car.

Since the school year had begun Masamune has managed to save up enough money to buy a used car. He wasn't really interested in the hover boards since he could never find one he liked, that, and he never had time to practice his skills in the hover board style of bey battling. Just before he had bought the car the blader had managed to earn his driver's license, along with two reckless speeding tickets. These were mostly from winning street races that his over confidence would throw him into. The speeding tickets were part of the reason why he had to change schools, the school he was in before had a zero tolerance policy for trouble makers like him. Not that he was a trouble make he just happened to damage private property by accident during his battles.

Trudging along the cement parking lot the self-proclaimed number one blader shifted his gaze around the area to see people were packing their things up to head home for the day. People that had gone through the metal detectors before him had already hightailed it as far from the school as they could. Anyone that was staying there voluntarily was now mixed in with a large group of athletes that were beating the ever loving tar out of a crudely made rival mascot.

Seeing the people in his school cheering on everyone that was beating up the mascot made him sick to his stomach. It was almost as if they all enjoyed torturing anything that was in their way. Pushing these images aside Masamune found his way to his used car. After saving up enough money working for Coach Steel the self-proclaimed number one blader had finally been able to buy a Chevrolet Monte Carlo. To most people it wasn't much, but to him it was like having another striker beside him.

Opening the door to the driver's seat he tossed his bag into the vehicle while making sure he didn't accidently hit the red sports car that was right behind him. The last thing he wanted was for the owner to become pissed off enough to try and kick him into next week. _"Aren't you Masamune? One of the bladers that was in the World Championships?" _Hearing a voice coming from behind him the blader looked over his shoulder to see a girl sitting in the passenger seat belonging to the red sports car. Ignoring his own rule about talking to the girls at his school the blader spun around happy to brag about his skills. "That's right. I'm Masamune the number one blader in world!"

Off in the distance one of the athletes had stopped beating the make-shift mascot senselessly to see where his girlfriend was. When he saw the self-proclaimed number one blader talking to what he considered "his property" the athlete gripped his bag in his hand. "That's how I beat Gingka Hagane. He didn't stand a chance after Striker and I went through a lot of tough training." The girl sitting in the passenger seat responded by saying his story was fascinating, this caught the athletes attention as he tossed his bag into the back of his car.

"_What's so fascinating about a shorty like him?" _The athlete scoffed and looked at the old beat up used car that Masamune had bought with his own money. He walked around it a few times pointing out every flaw that the vehicle had, and from a first glance anyone could tell it was a lot. _"You're nothing but trailer trash short stack. You only won like, one battle in the World Championships. Doesn't matter if you were in it or not you still lost. Loser." _

Masamune had to admit that his track record in the World Championships hadn't been the best but after training with his two best friends his skills had improved a lot since then. He didn't count losing to Nemesis as a real loss since the bey he had been using was what most bladers considered a cheap bey. It was the last word that had ticked him off a little though. "Well at least I paid for my own car, and I didn't need daddy to buy it for me." Sliding into his used car the self-proclaimed number one blader backed out of the parking space while seeing the athlete's girlfriend laugh at his insult.

Pressing the gas pedal down Masamune slowly began to drive forward only to hear his back window shatter. Slamming on the brake he looked over his shoulder to see a baseball had been deliberately thrown at his car. Moving his gear shifter into park the blader unclipped his launcher and bey from his belt. Sliding out of his car he could hear people from all around owing at what had just happened. The athlete held his arms out motioning for Masamune to do something about the broken window.

Locking his bey in place on his launcher the blader aimed forward but reconsidered his action when he saw several other athletes walk behind him with their beys pointed at him. He knew he had a low chance of beating all of them but he knew that if he could challenge the main athlete to a one on one battle there would be a higher chance of winning. _"Why don't you fine gentlemen let your beys do the talking?" _The girl sitting in the red sports car put her sunglasses on and could see that Masamune seemed fine with this idea.

The athlete standing in front of Masamune shook his head. _"Nah, if this piece of shit was in the World Championships then he does have some skill. If were gonna battle it's going to be on my turf." _Stepping back slightly the spikey haired blader knew where this was going. He could see the athlete climbing into the red sports car followed by the loud sound of a revving engine. "I'll race you, but I only race for pinks." The crowd around him erupted in laughter. Letting out a depressed sigh the self-proclaimed number one blader glanced down at his shining bey. "Winner gets Blitz Striker on one condition; we battle your way and my way. We'll start out having a bey battle and run to our cars, then we'll race to whatever finish line you want."

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A few miles away from the school was a large, almost empty lot that had been cleared of trees for the new houses that were being built. So far a few dozen homes had been built through half of the lot. Around the entire lot was a brick wall that had only two entrances that were locked off with a chain link fence. Outside the fence several people used a bolt cutter to rip the lock off of the chain link fence, they pulled it open and let the two racers park their cars half way into the lot.

Standing in front of the broken chain link fence the two racers attached their beys to their launchers and faced each other. Starring down his opponent Masamune narrowed his eyes while gripping his launcher even tighter. Slowly closing his eyes and ignoring all other distractions the Blitz Striker owner inhaled and exhaled breath very slowly, concentrating on this very moment. It didn't matter to him what happened after the battle, all that matter to him now was taking down his opponent.

In his moment of prep Masamune was jolted back to his senses when he heard someone from the crowd shouting. With his mind fully focused on the battle he had just enough time to see a bey flying towards his face. Pulling the rip cord as fast as he could Masamune dove to the left just before the two beys created a large explosion that kicked up a large dust cloud.

Taking this chance to run down the deserted dirt road the spikey haired blader sprinted as fast as he could, calling out to his bey which followed him right away. A trail of dust followed behind them as the team did their best to stay ahead of the athlete. Looking over his shoulder Masamune could see his opponent running at full speed with his sights locked on him. The opposing bey jumped into the air and came hurtling towards Striker.

"Barrage mode!" Running around one of the houses the lead blader slipped on the dirt road causing him to lose his balance. Swinging his arms a bit Masamune managed to regain his balance while catching a glimpse of another large explosion. Large dust clouds engulfed the surrounding area of houses causing him to use his jacket sleeve as a shield for his eyes. Moving his sleeve away from his eyes the blader couldn't tell which way to go due to more dust clouds being kicked up every time his bey attacked its opponent.

Taking another step forward the self-proclaimed number one blader felt something slam into his rib cage. He fell to the ground placing a hand on his side. Looking up he could see the athlete running away from him with a large evil grin on his face. "Son of a," pushing himself up the blader began sprinting again. Striker sped forward again trying to catch up to the opposing bey that had somehow gotten away.

Among the loud cheering from groups of people watching the battle the sound of a car engine managed to draw Masamune's attention to the athlete that had put a small amount of distance between them. Shouting at Striker the blader caught his bey just as he slid into his used car. "Thanks Striker, I owe you one." Sliding and twisting the key into the ignition slot his car started up without stalling at all, this was a good sign since his car had stalled in the worst of times. Slamming the gear stick back into the vehicles first gear his car accelerated to fifty miles an hour.

Muttering something under his breath the blader now turned racer shifted into his vehicles second gear while attempting to close the gap between him and the athlete. Easing his way forward the racer began to smile when his car was finally racing alongside the expensive red sports car. Groaning a bit Masamune could see a large pick-up truck blocking half of the dirt road ahead of him, by the way it was moving he could tell it was intentionally trying to block his path. Looking at the athlete in the car next to him he mouthed a curse word just before he jerked the steering wheel to the left.

Narrowly missing a few steel pipes near a side walk the used vehicle sped onto another dirt path kicking up large dust clouds as the tires began to lose a bit of traction. Pushing the gas pedal down a bit further the blader managed to have his car accelerate enough to pass the pick-up and red sports car simultaneously, now that he was in the lead Masamune could see piles of construction materials near a sharp turn ahead. The back tires lost every bit of traction when the blader jerked the steering wheel to the left, this action caused the car to slam into the piles of materials sending some flying into a nearby house.

Coming to an immediate stop the blader looked out his window to see the red sports car speeding around the turn he had failed to make. Punching his steering wheel and uttering a curse word under his breath Masamune gripped the gear shifter with his right hand. Pushing the gear stick forward while slamming on the gas his car accelerated to fifty miles an hour, pulling the gear stick back he caused the car to accelerate to one hundred ten miles an hour. Despite having put a lot of distance between the two cars the athlete was soon doing everything he could to keep Masamune from passing him.

Another sharp turn lay ahead of the drivers and from the looks on their faces anyone could tell that it was the final turn of the race. Noticing that he wouldn't make the turn ahead Masamune jerked the steering wheel to the left causing his vehicle to drive onto the dirt paths that would one day become lush green backyards. The athlete was utterly surprised by this move, even his girlfriend was left surprised by this action.

Passing over several soon-to-be backyards Masamune smiled at the athlete as he sped over a road separating two backyards. Slamming the gas pedal down even further the racer could see a trail of dust being left in his wake. To the left of the used vehicle was a wall blocking the vehicles path, when Masamune turned his attention to the dirt road he was on the blader could see a large vehicle blocking his way along with a newly built house. Seeing wooden support beams holding the second floor up he knew exactly what he was going to do.

"Sorry house." The steering wheel was jerked to the right causing the vehicle to move in the direction of the newly built house. Slamming the gear shifter into the used cars last gear Masamune slammed the gas pedal down as far as it would go just before knocking every support beam out of his way. A collapsing second floor filled Masamune's ears as his car sped out of the now ruined house. Keeping his attention focused on the pile of dirt ahead of him Masamune smiled just before his car flew off of the pile of dirt and landed back onto the road.

The athlete locked eyes with Masamune and then with his girlfriend who was beginning to look embarrassed. _"I thought you weren't going to embarrass me anymore!" _His shocked expression soon changed into an angry one as the athlete looked back at Masamune. The self-proclaimed number one blader winked at the girl before taking the lead again. _"Maybe I should be dating him." _

Having heard enough from his girlfriend the athlete moved the steering wheel to the left causing his vehicle to slam into Masamune's. Giving the self-proclaimed number one blader a cruel look the athlete slammed his red sports car into the opposing vehicle causing his girlfriend to yell at him. He told her to shut up just before slamming his vehicle into Masamune's again. Loose car parts fell from both vehicles as the red sports car prepared to attack again.

Slamming on the brake and pulling up the emergency brake Masamune tried to stop only to be knocked into a tail spin by the other driver. Pushing the emergency brake down the blader was thrown into his door as his car was flipped over a large pile of dirt. He couldn't help but smile as his car flipped over another five times before coming to a stop upside down. With his vision blurred the only thing the blader could see was a red dot that looked like a red sports car. After a few moments of hazy vision Masamune was eventually able to make out what the red dot was. What he saw was a completely ruined red sports car jammed against large metal pipes.

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Chants of aww could be heard coming from the TV that was mounted to one of the four dully colored walls. The video of Masamune's battle with the athlete played on the screen while being stopped every few moments to be told what he was being accused of. Specifically, the video was being stopped at the part where the used car destroyed the support beams of a house just before flying through the air on a makeshift dirt ramp. "Can I get a copy of that?" He gestured to the frozen TV screen that was showing his car in mid-jump.

"_Is this some kind of a joke to you?" _Standing in front of Masamune was a man that was doing his job to make sure he put the blame on the person that didn't have a good lawyer. That meant that all the damage that the battle had caused would fall on Masamune if he didn't find some excuse to save himself. _"You see those two out there?" _The man gestured to the two people that had been inside of the red sports car. _"They're going to walk out of here without even a slap on the wrist. Their parents are too hooked up."_

Crossing his arms Masamune slid forward in his seat. The man walked over to him and looked the blader in the eyes while speaking very slowly. _"You know, I like screw-ups like you. You know why? 'Cause you're guaranteed to end up in jail with all the other low life's." _Masamune tried not to focus on the man's bad breath while he listened to him. Asking about his car the spikey haired blader angrily stood up when he heard the man had crushed it. He was pushed back down by a cop.

His mother arrived shortly after he was pushed back into his seat. The next conversation seemed to drag on and on as his mother gave the cop a sob story about how they had moved from two other states because of the exact same problem. The only difference between now and then was that this time Masamune used car had been the object that had dealt the damage to the house rather than his bey. _"We need to get him off the streets then. I have on record that he already has two speeding tickets. Does he have any relatives?" _Slamming his head down on the table seemed to go unnoticed by everyone in the room.

Groaning he pushed himself out of the seat and walked out of the room. He pulled the door shut and took a few steps to the right so he was facing the wall. Moments later he began lightly hitting his head against the wall knowing his mother was going to have to find them a new place to live. The question of how he was going to break the news to Toby and Zeo was beyond him.

People that could see Masamune starred at him as he hit his head against the wall. When he looked in their direction they pretended to pay him no attention. Keeping his head against the wall the blader closed his eyes wanting to take back the entire day. If he had only kept to himself, kept quiet, left things alone, maybe, just maybe he would have been home now getting ready to visit the Dungeon gym.

A creaking door drew Masamune's attention to his mother who had just stepped out of the room. She gave him a look that said he should be ashamed of himself. "Where we moving this time?" A question that he had asked twice before ending up in New York, which wasn't a bad thing considering his two best friends happened to be in the city. His mother folded her arms and shook her head.

"_We _are not moving anywhere." His curiosity had been drawn in.

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This wasn't what Masamune had in mind at all. Sitting in a plane headed for Liberty City was the last thing he wanted to do. He cringed when he heard a few children crying in the row behind him. As of that moment, he really did want to take back his day. The only thing that he could think about right now was the final moments he had with his mother before she had told him that Liberty City would be his new home.

A few tears formed in his eyes but they were brushed away with his jackets green sleeve. The memory of his mother jamming a small suitcase full of clothes without any remorse pained him more than he had thought it would. He was lucky to have been able to hide his bey with Zeo and Toby before the women had tossed out everything that had to do with bey battles. All of his spare parts and anything related to beys had been tossed out, to his fortune she didn't ask about his bey.

Just before he had boarded the plane he had exchanged farewells with his best friends, they had managed to sneak the bey into Masamunes bag without the launcher or ripcord. Now, he sat alone on the plane. Despite the two people sitting beside him he still felt alone. He was going to a new city, one that he hadn't even heard of until that day.

According to his mother, Masamunes father would be watching over him now. The last time Masamune had spoken to his father was too long ago to remember. Attempting to make the best out of this day the blader closed his eyes trying to get some sleep before the plane landed.

Later that night the plane had finally landed with a sleepless Masamune walking out of the airport with his suitcase. Standing on the sidewalk that overlooked the two lanes of traffic that were circling the airport the blader called for a cab that was only a few car links away from him. He ran towards it and bumped into two people, he apologized just before climbing into the black SUV. A local radio station played loudly while the driver looked over his shoulder asking where Masamune needed to go.

Reaching into his left pocket Masamune pulled out a folded up piece of paper that had various directions written down on it. The cab driver took the paper and unfolded it. He looked it over carefully before handing it back to the blader. "It's going to be a long drive." Resting his head on his fist the blader nodded and looked out the window.

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Stepping out of the black SUV the self-proclaimed number one blader yawned while attempting to stretch. That was when he felt the cab driver pull his green sleeve, he pointed to his hand demanding payment for the long ride from the airport. Reaching into his pocket the blader felt around for his wallet. Felling nothing inside of his right hand pocket the blader reached into his left hand pocket and felt nothing. Sliding his hands into both his back pockets he felt around for his money and found that his pockets were empty.

Frantically searching his pockets and suitcase for money he hadn't noticed that someone else had stepped into the cab. To the customers dismay he would have to wait until the cab driver was paid for his previous fare. "My wallet was stolen." Thinking back to his time at the airport he remembered the two people that had bumped into him. Only now did he realize that they had deliberately bumped into him. _"Tough break kid, I still need payment." _During the argument over how Masamune would pay for the ride the other customer had rolled down the cab window to listen in on what was being said.

He didn't really care what happened but he had business elsewhere. Tapping the back of the cab drivers seat the customer managed to get his attention. "Step on it I've got somewhere to be. Take this and keep the change." Two hundred dollars was slapped down on top of the glove box. Masamune looked at the man and thanked him only to be given a blank stare. "Welcome to Liberty City kid." He rolled up the window to conceal his face.

The black SUV was soon driving down the road again leaving Masamune to find his way to his apartment. Turning to face the building in front of him the blader could see his new home was located near the river the cut through the island separating it from the middle island where the city was located at. The airport was located on another island that was also separated by a river bed. Walking up to the red door Masamune pushed it open and ran up the wooden stairs that creaked with each step.

Finding the room to his father's apartment was no problem at all since it was the first room to the right. He knocked on the door and waited no more than a few minutes before his father pulled the door open. 'Son, I thought you wouldn't be arriving here until Friday." From the look on Masamune's face his father could tell that it was Friday. Scratching the back of his head the older man stepped back allowing his son to walk into the room.

"This is it." A joyless tone came from the older man as he showed Masamune the one room apartment that was in severe need of remodeling. The bed room was separated from the rest of the room with a single wall that had no door, stepping out of the bed room a person would see the small living room with an L shaped couch running along the wall. Connected to the living room was a small kitchen that barely had enough room to hold a small refrigerator, that he noticed wasn't even working properly by the sounds it was making.

To his surprise there weren't any bugs running around. Which he was more than happy about since he was not the world's number one bug enthusiast, he didn't plan on being one anytime in the near future either. "Where do I sleep?" His voice lacked any real emotion and anyone could have guessed he wasn't happy to be here from the tone of his voice.

His father let out a sigh and took note that the room was only designed for one person. This was made obvious by the whole apartment being one massive room. "Now, Masamune, you know you're mother had no other choice. I mean, it was either this or juvenile hall. I mean, you can't just keep moving around when you get into trouble." There was slightly sympathy for the younger blader but not much. His father knew about the trouble he had gotten into over the past few years but had never stepped in to help him. Even as a kid he rarely got fatherly advice.

"_It worked for you." _Masamune's distaste for the older man was clear as day. His father looked down and nodded but the look on his face said he regretted running from all of his problems that even included his only son. A depressed sigh was heard from the elder man as he walked over to the front door and opened it. "Look, neither of us asked for this. But I promised your mom I'd take care of you. So you just go by the rules her and I agreed to, I'm sure you'll manage just fine."

A look of disgust found its way onto Masamune's face at the mention of rules. "Yeah, rules. Real simple. You go to school, you come back here right after, and I don't want to see or hear about you anywhere near a car or bey. The bed room is yours, I've got some place to be tonight so you'll be here by yourself." The door slammed shut behind the older man as he left his son behind. After his dad walked out of the room Masamune immediately plopped down on the bed, it felt like a brick wall.

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The first re-written chapter, I had to work double time to be able to complete this as well as other chapters. After reading this story again I knew I could have made it better, and compared to my other story Heist Mission, this one can be a lot better. I have all the chapters planned out so this should be getting a few updates every so often, that is, if I'm keeping up to date with my other story.

Next Challenge: Realizer


	2. Realizer

Challenge: Realizer

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A loud annoying ringing sound forced Masamune to open his eyes to find out what the source of the annoyance was. Cracking open both eyes just a tiny bit the blader looked around to see the one room apartment, aside from the bathroom, was still empty. Groaning at the ringing sound he felt around the night stand trying to hit the alarm clock. Upon feeling the device he tried to slam his fist down on it but only ended up knocking the alarm clock off of the stand.

This only made the ringing sound become even louder and more obnoxious. Slugging himself out of bed the blader grabbed the alarm clock and twisted it around in his hands until he found the off switch. Jamming his thumb down on the switch he let out a sigh of relief. With no more annoying sounds the self-proclaimed number one blader looked around to see what he assumed was a fancy suit. Pushing himself off the bed he walked over to the uniform and looked it over. There was a note attached which he read quietly to himself. _"Train to school leaves at seven." _He crumpled the note up and tossed it onto the night stand.

Closely examining his uniform the blader let out an unenthusiastic laugh. "You've got to be kidding?" Midway through his sentence he had glanced at the annoying alarm clock to see it was already six forty. It was at the moment he realized he was going to be late if he didn't bust a move.

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Sprinting out the door with one of his arms still hanging out his school uniforms jacket the balder attempted to look at a map to figure out where the train station was. Many failed attempts lead him to wandering aimlessly around the streets hoping that someone or something could point him in the right direction. On the way to the train station he had passed several large bill boards that had some sort of slogan on them. While looking up at one of these boards his eye caught a glimpse of a subway train leaving a train station.

Moving down the street faster than he had thought he could the blader managed to find his way to the stairs that would take him up to the platform. Running up a series of steps he came to a ticket window and ordered a two-way train ticket in order to get back home later. He soon found himself pushing through crowds of people, some of which were wearing uniforms just like him. That was when he saw a group of girls wearing his school uniform.

He smiled and walked over to them trying to find some excuse to talk to anyone one of them. "Do any of you know which stop is closest to the school? I'm kind of new here." A few of the girls left the group laughing amongst themselves while a few of the others stayed to help the newcomer out. One of the girls opened her mouth and began to speak but was interrupted the moment she said something.

The person that had spoken for her was tall and had short dark blonde hair, he was also wearing a school uniform. _"I can help you find your way." _This earned a rude and cruel look from the girl that had been interrupted. Masamune turned around to face the person and soon found himself looking up to meet his gaze.

For a moment he didn't know what to say but eventually found the words he was looking for. "I'm sorry friend, but I wasn't talking to you." Turning back around to face the girl he felt someone grab his shoulder. The next thing Masamune knew he was spun around so that he was facing the same rude person. He heard him mutter something about having enough friends, which was true seeing that there were three people standing behind him ready to back him up. "That's too bad, I thought about inviting you over to my apartment. Now would you mind getting out of my face?" The girl standing behind Masamune caught the slightest glimpse of a look that said her rude friend was looking for a fight.

"I can't, it's very crowded in Liberty City. Lots of _ass holes." _Point taken. Liberty City was well known for the crime that took place in its alley ways. Even the students attending school knew about the Liberty Bank heist mission that had taken place a few years ago. _"I can see that." _Masamune retorted giving his new friend the same rude look he was being given. The girl standing behind him could see that the self-proclaimed number one blader was also looking for a fight.

Dropping his bag down on the ground the rude person had made it clear one of them was going to be tossed down the stairs in the next few moments. Masamune didn't hesitate to back down and made himself free of his bag. "I'll hold that for you." His attention was drawn to the girl behind him who had forcibly taken his bag away. She spun around and tossed it into the train causing it to land with a loud thud.

Running after his back the blader stepped inside the train and picked up his bag. When he looked back at the girl he could see the doors had closed behind him preventing him from fighting with his new friend. He could see her say something but couldn't quiet hear her.

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An unenjoyable and long train ride later had brought Masamune all the way to the first island that made up Liberty City. He found out he had been transported all the way back to the airport which meant he would have to figure out a new way to school. This didn't take long since the next train had taken him to the small island that the school was located at. After using his map of the city he had eventually found his way to school just in time to catch his third period class, which would have been good if his classes weren't an hour long.

His luck had come through for him by allowing him to have a class that didn't have anyone he had seen at the train station that morning. The next two classes were the same way, eventually he would find out that only a few classes had people that recognized him. When his fifth class had ended the self-proclaimed number one blader had taken to the lunch room for something to eat.

Surprisingly the food selection was actually pretty good, a few different fast food restaurants had pinched in for some kind of program, or so Masamune heard. This meant a variety of different foods for people to choose from. Masamune took his seat at a table near the corner of the lunch room to keep people from noticing him. At first he wasn't sure what kind of sea food, or thing, he had gotten but after trying it he seemed to take a liking to it.

Enjoying his food in silence the blader was soon joined by a student that had a mixture of orange and red hair. The student wore a regular school uniform but he could see the bulk of a jumpsuit underneath the white button up dress shirt. "Hey, I noticed you don't have a laptop. I'll cut you one cheap since you look like your family's part of the army, how about a Toshiba for two hundred? No? Hundred twenty, only used by one previous owner." Masamune shook his head and took a bite out of his sea food thing.

The next few sentences had been zoned out but he could catch the gist of what his unwanted friend was saying. "Look man, I ain't an army brat that needs some handouts. Even if I was I have no cash. Sorry to burst your bubble but I probably won't be here long enough to remember your name." Masamune said this just before taking a drink from his bottle of water. A loud thud caught his attention when he saw his unwanted guest dropping a large backpack on top of the table. What caught his attention was a specially designed steering wheel.

Taking a Snickers bar out of his bag the unwanted guest unwrapped it and took a bite out of the bar. He starred at Masamune for a few moments with what the blader assumed was a judgment look. "You into beys? How about I get you a few overnight parts from Japan? Hook you up with some strong modifications?" Masamune shook his head again. He pulled out his own bey and showed the guest it didn't need any modifications.

"Look I don't need any parts but maybe you could sell me that steering wheel."

"That's not for sale, I paid full retail price for that baby and it's for my ride only." A smile soon found its way onto Masamune's face when he heard him mention a vehicle. He shook the bladers hand and they exchanged names. The self-proclaimed number one blader made sure to ask about his new friend's car. "Nice to meet you Masamune, always good to meet another blader this side of Liberty City. Now my ride, oh my ride is special. One of a kind, but I thought you said you weren't staying around that long." A smug look replaced Masamune's smile which made Monkey laugh.

The next half hour was spent exchanging stories about bey battles and races, which made the time, fly by like it was only a matter of seconds. Before leaving the lunch room Masamune had agreed to meet Monkey after school so he could see his friend's special one of a kind ride.

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Earlier that morning Masamune had fought his alarm clock because of its annoyingly loud ringing, now that it was the end of the school day, he was happy to hear the ringing from the school's clock that told everyone it was time to go home. Ever since lunch he had been waiting to see his friend's car, multiple times he had gone over what type of astonishing vehicle he might see.

As he walked out of the school Masamune could see his father leaning against a ruined vehicle inside of a garage across the street. He looked both ways before crossing the street hoping that Monkey would wait for him at the school's parking lot. Stepping into the garage he tapped something metal with his index finger to get his father's attention. "Nice car, is she yours?" The older man nodded while keeping his gaze locked on ruined engine of the vehicle in front of him. He took in a deep breath before looking up at his son.

He opened his mouth to say something but couldn't find the words for a few moments. "Afraid so, not really sure how she ended up like this. My friend Stevie brought her in one day and said it was better was just junk it now, save the time for another car." That didn't seem like a great view of the world. Masamune knew that with hard work, time, and a great investment anything could become filled with potential. Placing his hand on the dusty vehicle the blader slowly ran his hand along the passenger door to see his hand become covered in dust.

Silence plagued the two family members while they starred at the ruined vehicle, which someone could say resembled their relationship. "You know son, the Japanese have a saying. The nail that sticks out gets hammered." He met his father's gaze to see that truer words had never been spoken between them until now. The blader nodded and took his leave, while running down the street he could hear his father say something about being out late again tonight.

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My ride is one of a kind he said, well this was something Masamune had to find out for sure. After taking several minutes to find his way around the school parking lot he had discovered that his new friend was actually parking his vehicle at a newly built parking garage. The jumpsuit wearing student had already ditched his school uniform in favor of his jumpsuit long before the self-proclaimed number one blader had arrived. Despite the sun already beginning to set Masamune figured he could spend a few hours out in the city before his father got home.

Now, he was standing in front of a sliding metal door that was showing him one car. At first he thought the parking garage was a joke but when the platform holding the car began to spin like a revolver he became impressed. It took a few moments for the device to really start moving but once it did Masamune had been able to see tons of valuable high end cars. Several Bugatti's, Porches', and one Ferrari passed by while earning a head shake from Monkey.

Several cars had gone by that most people would have called special or impressive but Masamune could see that Monkey had something even better. Just the look on his face alone told him this. It was when a van with various colors painted on it came to a stop in front of the two students. Monkey's face lit up like a Christmas tree when he started seeing it back out of the garage with help from some device attached to the platform. Rolling out in front of them the vehicle was soon stopped and could finally be seen in all its glory.

Along the left and right side of the van was design based on the Marvel comic's superhero Thor. Along the doors and back end of the vehicle were large hammer like indentions that were supposed to resemble Thor's hammer. The front of the van had a design of Thor striking a pose from the movie Avengers, which even Masamune, had to admit looked pretty awesome on a car. "Slammin' man! Look at the car right there." Most people would think he was just a little too enthusiastic about his vehicle.

A half enthusiastic grin found its way onto the self-proclaimed number one bladers face while he walked over to the passenger side of the van. He pulled open the door and slid inside to see that even the seats were custom made with special leather that he assumed cost a fortune. Hearing a slam from the driver's side door Masamune looked over to see Monkey connecting the steering wheel to his van. "You better have some real cars here. Don't get me wrong the Thor mobile is nice and all, but I was excepting something a little more," he paused part way through his sentence to find the right words. Monkey just smiled and shook his head to show he understood what was being said.

"Alright I'll take you to see some nice cars, but just remember one thing. Stay out of trouble." The look on his friends face said to get into as much trouble as he possibly could. Trouble meaning something good instead of bad.

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The sweet location that Monkey had been bragging about during the car ride was a little disappointing at first glance. What Masamune had seen was a parking garage that looked like it had been built a few years ago, judging from the looks of it he would have guessed it was made sometime after the Liberty City bank heist. When the comic loving student had driven into the parking garage the bladers were greeted to the sounds of loud techno music and chanting.

Bey battles took place on the lowest floor of the parking garage and were sectioned off from one of the paths so no one could park in the blader's area. The upper floors were reserved for hover board racing, which sometimes included beys, and regular street racing which were more or less drift competitions. Masamune's attention was soon drawn away from the wonderful sight when he felt Monkey tap his arm. "Hey, be cool and keep quiet for a few minutes." Trying to ask why and object to this the teen was interrupted by Monkey shouting at someone.

The Thor mobile came to a stop near a group of people on the third floor that didn't seem to pay him much attention. One of them he recognized from the train station while the other three he hadn't seen or meet yet. To the left of the group was a man in his twenties surrounded by a few girls who were taking interest in the car he was sitting on top of. He had on a dark plaid blue unzipped jacket that looked like it was made of leather, underneath was a black shirt that was covering part of the man's jeans. "Han, hey Han I got those new tires you were looking for. There's one missing but I can get it to you when we negotiate a deal? Right, right okay then." That conversation went south fast. It didn't help that this guy, Han, had a blank expression on his face when he was spoken to.

The person standing to Han's left was another racer that looked to be close to the age of twenty one, give or take a year. He wore a black jacket that Masamune caught interest in, along the back of it was a skull surrounded in fire. Printed on the front of the jacket was the number twenty two, somewhere on the jacket the blader had seen what he thought was a team name. "Inferno, I got those new hover boards parts! I even got you a little something extra for your Grotti Cheetah. Maybe we can negotiate later?" The blader seemed like he was going to give Monkey the same blank expression that Han had given him but he instead nodded with a slight grin. He pointed to his phone which Masamune assumed meant he would be in touch with his friend later.

Monkey's attention was drawn to Han's seemingly distrusting look. That was when he noticed Inferno was giving Masamune the exact same distrusting look. "Hey, man look this guy's cool alright. He's my mechanic in training." The blader became a little worried when he saw the two racers look at each other. He felt something tap his arm which told him to smile and nod. Masamune did so and the two racers went back to their own conversation. "DK, I got some new bey parts!"

To the left of Inferno was the final racer in the small group of three, not counting the few women that were around them. He wore a leather jacket similar to Han's and wore a sleeveless black undershirt with it along with a pair of jeans. The look on his face said to leave them alone which Monkey hadn't realized. Masamune noticed this and tried to figure some way to get his friend to shut up. "We uhh, we're just gonna pull in." The overflowing confidence that the sales student had was quickly drained from him faster than the self-proclaimed blader could have guessed.

Halfway across the third floor and away from the three racers Monkey finally spoke up. "Alright look man, Han Sul-Oh, he's pretty cool. Just try to stay on his good side. Same with Inferno, he's pretty chilled most of the time." Hearing Han's full name made Masamune want to crack a smile but he could tell it wasn't the appropriate time to do so. The happy look on Monkey's face seemed to drain away when he spoke about the third racer. "That other dude though, you might want to keep your distance. His father is part of the Yakuza, and that roughly translates into him being a part of the mafia. His family's the reason why The Lost biker gang moved to Los Santos. They sent up a flare to all biker and mafia gangs by taking out the Angels of Death." That caught Masamune's full undivided attention.

Back before he had even got his first car the blader had heard about what had happened. Some major crimes had erupted throughout the city causing nearly all of the gangs in the city to hightail it as far as they could away from there. From what he heard the Lost Biker gang had gone to California and had set up a new operation near Los Santos. "Don't worry man, so long as you keep your distance you won't be in harm's way." That was easier said than done.

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So far Masamune's first time in the parking garage hang out was proving to be a fun experience for him. All the beys he saw were completely new to him and nearly every bey looked like it was based off of some car. It was safe to say he was enjoying himself, he hadn't even battled yet and he was already getting pumped. After he had looked around a bit Masamune had come face to face with the girl that had put him on the wrong train.

Not long after seeing her, the self-proclaimed number one blader had started up a conversation. This time things went more smoothly for him. That would have been the case if the girl's boyfriend hadn't been watching him the entire time. To make things worse this person wasn't just some random guy, it was the same person Masamune had been told to stay away from.

Biting his tongue a bit the racer slid his hands into his pocket. He pushed off of the car he was sitting on and looked over at the two other racers that hadn't seemed to notice anything. "Who's the tourist?" The racer leaned in close to his friends so that they could both hear him. Inferno turned his attention to the self-proclaimed number one blader and just shook his head.

His plaid jacket friend on the other hand didn't seem to care who Masamune was talking to. As usual he had a blank expression on his face. "What's with you and the school girl's DK?" As far as anyone knew the drift king had graduated from high school not that long ago. "You're moving up in the world you've got to elevate your company." The racer gestured to the women that were standing near him but was soon ignored. He shrugged and went back to his conversation while Inferno kept a close eye on his business partner.

Slowly strutting passed a few cars the drift king had begun drawing attention from the nearby groups. Mixed in with one of the other groups was Monkey who had immediately run off to get Masamune away from the girl. In his rush to beat DK the blader had missed seeing the other two racers following right behind him. Everyone around the small group had gotten quiet when DK said something. "He was just leaving DK, were not looking for trouble." Monkey stepped in between the two bladers just before the drift king had tried to get in Masamune's face.

Listening in on the conversation the two other racers that had been with DK were taking seats on the hoods of two cars. The racer wearing the plaid jacket began grinning slightly hearing Masamune say that he didn't speak prick and that he only spoke English. Inferno nodded with a grin on his face, he was actually taking a bit of interest in this blader. As the conversation between the two bladers went on they could see DK making gestures that said the girl Masamune was talking to was his girlfriend.

[I'm on my way, I'm on way.]

Muttering something in a different language the drift king kissed his girlfriend on the cheek so Masamune would get what he was saying. Afterwards he spoke in English telling the blader to turn around and walk away. Monkey tried to do just that but was stopped when Masamune refused to leave his spot. "You know that's really funny, cause see I thought this was a free country. You know where a girl can talk to whoever she wants." Pushing his girlfriend away the drift king stepped up to Masamune so that they were in each other's faces.

"Do you know who I am, boy?"

[Crystallizer, I'm a realizer.]

"Yeah, you're like the Justin Bieber of Liberty City right?" An evil grin found its way onto DK's face after hearing this retort. The only thing stopping him from punching the self-proclaimed number one blader was the girl trying to hold him back.

Keeping an amused eye on the conversation one of DK's friends tossed a chip into his mouth not wanting to miss any part of this. He offered Inferno a bite but could see the racer didn't care much to eat at the moment. Hearing the conversation take a nasty turn the racer could see things were going to end badly, which was a shame since he thought Masamune was quite amusing.

Deciding to end this amusing conversation the plaid jacket racer tapped Inferno on the shoulder to give him the signal that it was time to go. Pushing himself off the car Han looked back at his friend. "Come on DK, it's time to race." Earning a look from his friend the racer could see DK was willing to let this go. While walking past DK's other friend he could see him flipping Masamune off.

"Good luck Bieber!"

[I'm a realizer!]

Turning around with an aggravated look on his face DK walked back over to Masamune. Once again they were in each other's faces. At this point Monkey was ready to punch Masamune himself. "You're the one that's lucky, cause I'm about to race." Looking around a bit Inferno could see that nearly everyone on the third floor was now watching them.

Some people tried to pretend they weren't watching but did so very poorly. Listening closer to the conversation the elite racer could hear Masamune say he was ready to race. Shaking his head the former World Race leader picked up his hover board. One thing he had never liked about DK was how he treated other people that didn't race. When he heard the drift king mock Masamune for not even having a hover board, Inferno knew what he was going to do. "Take mine." Tossing his hover board in the air he watched Masamune catch it without even looking away from his opponent.

Han couldn't help but grin at this. DK accepted the challenge and turned back around so that he was facing his friends. He shot Inferno a dirty look that said he shouldn't have done that. This look, however, didn't bother the elite racer at all. "What? I wanna see what the kid's got." Out of the corner of his eye the racer could see his plaid jacket friend was just as interested in the race as he was.

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Before stepping onto the dark blue and orange hover board Masamune went over the conversation he had in the elevator with Monkey. The short ride to the first floor had been filled with his sales friend scolding him along with all the reasons that had caused their conversation to go south. His lecture had begun with answering a simple question. Did he even know what DK stood for? The answer he was about to say was Donkey Kong but Monkey corrected him and told him it meant Drift King.

Then it had been Masamune's turn to ask a question, his question was about the word drift. He got his answer when they stepped out of the elevator and saw to cars sliding across the pavement with two hover boards doing the same thing. Masamune had stared in amazement because to him it looked as if the cars were gliding across the pavement just like the hover boards. That answered one question.

Placing his foot on top of the dark blue and orange hover board the self-proclaimed number one blader could see Monkey was ready to give him some last minute advice. "I'm going to make this real simple. This right here, this is what we call the Mona Lisa of the hover board world. You see Inferno rebuilt this thing from the ground up." His attention was lost the moment his friend began saying something about twin turbo boosting systems. Letting a blank expression take over his face the blader could see his friend was ready to give up on a lost cause.

Attempting to give his friend some hope he asked for a quick thirty second crash course on how to drift. Then came the instructions. With another blank expression on his face Masamune tried to understand every bit of helpful advice he could. Eventually Monkey let out a defeated sigh and gave the blader a pat on the back. "You know what just don't mess up Mona Lisa here alright." His gaze met a force smile before he watched his friend walk off.

With preparations for the race finally completed the two bladers had found their way to the spray painted line that told them were to start at. Trying to line himself up with the white line Masamune over shot it slightly causing a few people to boo at him. They motioned for him to back up and stopped booing when he was behind the line. Sliding his bey out of his pocket the self-proclaimed number one blader attached it to his launcher and aimed forward just like DK was doing.

Stepping out in front of the bladers was a man dressed in a fancy suit who was pointing at each of them. He spoke a few words and began counting down. Upon muttering the last number he brought his hands down signaling for both bladers to take off.

The moment the man's hands had gone down Masamune pulled the rip cord out of his launcher as fast and as hard as he could. His bey was sent flying through the air while he sped off down the track that had been marked off for the race. A smile found its way onto Masamune's face when he noticed that he had already taken the lead.

People roared and cheered as they pushed each other out of the way so they could reach the next floor to see more of the action. Amongst the roaring crowd the two racers that had been with DK were sitting patiently on some cars while they watched everyone scramble around. Han looked over at Inferno and ate some more of the chips that were inside of his small bag.

Fading away faster than it had appeared Masamune's smile was replaced with a look of shock when he saw orange cones forming a small turning path for him. Cars were aligned inside of the parking spaces that were behind the cones, and without having to guess anyone could tell they were expensive. Leaning back on the hover board the blader attempted to drift but ended up sliding through the cones. Loud sounds of breaking glass filled his ears when he ran into a concrete support beam that was almost too close to the parked cars.

Focusing on his opponent now the blader could see his bey being knocked around the sharp turn while DK prepared to attempt the same thing Masamune had. This time it ended differently. The drift king leaned back ever so slightly on his hover board causing it to lift up slightly. He then leaned to the left causing the board to glide across the pavement just inches away from the wall separating the two halves of the parking garage floor.

Once again people began scrambling to the elevators in hopes of reaching the next floor before the two racers did. Still sitting on top of the car Inferno could hear someone say it had been a bad idea to let some newbie use his best hover board. Han kept a blank expression on his face while he tossed some trail mix into his open mouth.

Gliding across the pavement and onto the fourth floor of the parking garage DK could only smile while he listened to the sound of screeching metal behind him. It didn't take a genius to know that Masamune was gliding next to a cement wall.

Leaning back on his hover board again Masamune tried to drift again but ended up jumping into the air. Slamming into the cement ceiling he fell on top of a parked car along with his hover board which had become stuck inside of the vehicle. Groaning in pain he rubbed his head trying to think straight. Shaking off the pain he was felling the blader grabbed his board in both hands and tried to rip it free from the vehicle. Pulling back with all his might the blader fell backwards and pulled the hover board out, the sound of shattering glass windows filled his ears.

Dusting himself off he looked around and saw DK's bey was just now completing the turn he had failed to drift through. Sparks flew from his bey when it was knocked through the air aimed straight at him. Gasping and frantically moving out of the way the blader heard the sound of his bey landing inside of the car causing more damage to it. He winced at the thought of owing someone a lot of money for damaging their car.

Picking up his bey from the seat it had destroyed Masamune jumped back onto his hover board. He sped off again but came to a stop when he saw the drift king facing him at the other end of the floor. Lifting up his index and middle finger the drifting racer motioned for Masamune to bring it on. The look on his face said he wasn't even beginning to have fun yet.

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Standing at the top floor of the parking garage the two racers waited quietly and patiently for the winner of the race. People continued to cheer loudly while they heard the ear shattering sounds of explosions echoing throughout the fifth floor. It was no surprise to everyone in the crowd that DK had drifted around the final spiraling turn first. He glided past the spray painted finish line making it look as easy as eating a slice of cake.

Tossing another bit of trail mix into his mouth the plaid jacket racer could see everyone was now ready to laugh at Inferno for encouraging Masamune to battle. His attention was drawn to said racer when he heard screeching metal along the concrete wall. The board itself had been trashed to the point that even the stickers were trying to fall off like regular metal parts.

People laughed at the blader while Inferno whispered something into Han's ear. He nodded and handed him some keys he had been keeping in his pocket. Tossing more trail mix into his mouth the racer walked over to Masamune who was sliding his bey back into his pocket. Leaning close so only the blader could hear him. Han whispered something into his ear. "Don't leave town."

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Let the record show that I have nothing against the Biebs. I just wanted to use his name as a joke. Anyway I hit the word limit and exceeded it, the ending of this chapter will be added to the beginning to next chapter.

Next Challenge: Mamacita


	3. Mamacita

Challenge: Mamacita

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School had been brutal for Masamune the next day. People that had been at the parking garage hangout would point and snicker at him causing him to feel even worse. Even his only friend Monkey was doing well enough to avoid him since his reputation as a sales person might hit an all-time low for hanging around the drifting loser. The end of the school day couldn't have come any faster for the discouraged blader.

Hearing a loud ringing sound from every bell in the school Masamune was quick to get out as fast as he could. He kept his gaze locked on the ground and saw his shadow begin to stretch a bit. The sun was going down which meant it was time for him to be home. "Get in." A familiar voice rang in his head causing him to look up. Standing in front of Masamune was the elite racer that had let him borrow a special hover board for his race.

Sitting behind the racer was an orange Grotti Cheetah that had been modified to look like it had a Veil Side Fortune body kit. Splitting its solid orange paint job was a large black stripe that went from the cars bumper all the way to the back end of the car. Attached to the back of the vehicle's trunk was a low level spoiler that seemed to complete the look of the car. "I'll get you you're money." Masamune almost choked on these words. Not only had his bey been damaged but also his pride as a blader.

Inferno nodded and walked around to the driver side door. Pulling open the door he gave Masamune a blank expression. "Why are you talking like you have choice?" From the look on the elite racer's face Masamune could see he really didn't have a choice.

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Bright neon lights pierced the dark alley way that had brought enough shade to make the day look as if it had turned to night. If it weren't for the sun setting in the distance a block away from the casino no one would have been able to even tell it was still day time. Pushing open his door Inferno stepped out of the orange and black Grotti Cheetah. He looked over his shoulder and saw Masamune was following him as instructed.

As they approached the small gambling building the two bladers could hear loud video game music erupting from some of the machines that were set up. The casino was always this loud, which made the two bladers keep quiet since there was no point in trying to understand what either of them would try to say. People stood up and cheered when one of the machines began flashing colorful lights around the word Jackpot.

Careless others inside of the casino played the bladers no mind as they stood up and occasionally punched the machine they were playing at. Inferno just shook his head when he noticed the machine was rigged to give the casino an unfair advantage.

Reaching the very back to the small casino the two bladers found their way into the back storage room where they saw Han playing Blackjack with two other people. Masamune recognized them both, although there were a few other people mixed in the small group that he hadn't met yet. "Twenty one!" A rare smile found its way on Han's face as he flipped over his cards which happened to be an Ace and Jack. He reached over to the center of the small billiard Blackjack table and pulled all of the money over to his side.

The other people sitting at the billiard Blackjack table looked up to see the drifting failure and elite racer that had let him borrow the hover board. DK's friend who went to the same school as Masamune snickered at him. "What's he doing here Inferno?" Counting up his winnings Han glanced up and shot the young blader a nod that said it was good to see him here. The elite racer shook his head and sat down as everyone else left aside DK's personal group friends. Which only consisted of Han, Inferno, and Deriva, the fact that Masamune was still there was because of Inferno being very generous.

Grabbing the deck of cards the elite racer shuffled them while looking at each of his city friends. "He's paying me back for the hover board and interior of my car. Which thanks to you, is now in total shambles." DK's dark blonde friend made a side comment saying that he hopes Masamune wasn't the one driving here.

"_When is your next race? I'd really like to be there." _Masamune starred at the man for a moment thinking about the fight they had almost gotten into at the train station. He glanced at Inferno and then at Han to see they weren't paying much attention to him. "Why not be in it?" The man narrowed his eyes and nodded. DK stood up and walked over to his mini fridge. He grabbed and the tossed a soda to each of his friends, which didn't include Masamune. _"You really a badass or do you just talk like one?" _

Letting this conversation continue Inferno looked up at DK who was now looking over some business documents that they had gone over the day before. Taking his seat next to Deriva, DK looked at Inferno who was now dealing out the cards. "Ready to lose another car Inferno?" The elite racer smiled and tossed everyone one playing card face down on the billiard Blackjack table.

He even included Masamune in this hand since he considered him a new friend or at the very least his new employee. "No, I'm actually ready to take the '86 Corolla off your hands." Tossing out a face up card to each player the elite racer could see DK was ready to play ball with him. Everyone looked at their cards and tossed some money into the center of the table, Inferno paid for Masamune's hand this round.

"Alright then, put up the '72 Skyline." Reaching over the table the two business partners shook hands. Han tossed some trail mix into his mouth while DK motioned for Masamune to leave the room. "Get him out of here we have business to discuss." The last thing Masamune heard before leaving the room was something about Inferno's shipment being late.

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Night descended over the small districts that made up the entire four island city known as Liberty City. Street lights began to glisten and twinkle along with the other signs that began to light up the evening skyline. A low humming sound from the Grotti Cheetah's rotary engine echoed through the small street as the driver pulled out onto the main street leading to Maisonnette nine. Turning the steering wheel to the right Masamune pushed the gas pedal down causing the vehicle to accelerate to ninety miles an hour.

[Mamacita, oh my God, I think you're on fire. Do you want me to get you water?]

One of the few local radio stations played quietly inside of the import vehicle while Inferno starred out the passenger window. The ride so far had been quiet. "Is everything okay back there?" After being kicked out of the small storage room the self-proclaimed number one blader had been burning with this question in mind. Glares from the street lights shined down on the windshield as the vehicle sped up to one hundred miles an hour.

Inferno glanced at Masamune for a brief moment and then returned to looking out the passenger window. He squinted his eyes when one of the street lights shined right into his face. "I can handle DK." He spoke with a calm tone that sounded as if he wasn't threatened by the drifting racer. The self-proclaimed number one blader looked confused now.

"I thought he was the mafia?"

This earned a chuckle from the passenger while he glanced into the rearview mirror. Although Masamune couldn't see it, there was a bay side blue Nissan Skyline driving towards them with great speed. "His uncles with the mafia. DK's just playing gangster in his little storage room." That seemed to make sense to the blader, DK didn't seem old enough to run something as complicated as the mafia. Inferno could see from Masamunes currently blank expression that he didn't know what else to ask. "But I need him. He keeps his father from poking around too much, and if he didn't then his father would keep the other gangs around here from poking around with my business." The passengers gaze shifted back to the rear view mirror to see the import vehicle behind them was beginning to slow down enough so that it wouldn't pass them.

"What do mean?"

Taking in a small amount of breath the experienced driver exhaled trying to make this sound as simple as possible. A few more glares passed over the windshield causing Masamune to slow down a bit. "His father gets a piece of the action from everyone on his turf. We're on his turf. Fifty percent of something is better than one hundred percent of nothing." That made sense. Masamune understood that well since even getting half of some chump change could be used for some smart investments in the future.

Reaching to his left Masamune's hand hit the door making him realize this Grotti Cheetah was driven from the right side instead of the left side. Grabbing the water bottle in his cup holder to the left the self-proclaimed number one blader took a drink and set it back down. To keep the conversation going he decided to ask more questions. "So have you raced DK?" The passenger's response was a head shake that said he hadn't raced him at all. "Why not? Is he that good?" Inferno kept a blank casual expression on his face while facing his employee.

[Mamacita, oh my god I think you're on fire. Do you want me to get you water? You make me want to be your baby father cause the dance you do is getting hotter, I better cuff you before the boys follow. Whatchu think?]

He studied him for a moment. "What's the point of a race?" This question caught Masamune off guard. It was a question that was the equivalent of asking someone why they bey battled. The blader blinked while keeping his eyes on the road, his focus however was elsewhere.

"To see if I'm better than the other guy?"

Inferno nodded at this. His answer was a typical one that almost anyone would say if you asked them the same question. The passenger took in a deep breath while thinking about his answer. "It just proves you're faster that's all. If I had to race, it would have to be for something important. Or why else do it at all?" This answer was something that the racer lived by. In almost all of his races there had been something important on the line. During the World Race it wasn't just about winning five million dollars, it was also about stopping anyone from getting a power source that lied at the end of the race.

Fair point. Masamune respected the answer and knew that Inferno had spoken the truth when saying this. It was something about the way he had said it that just made him believe it. "Why are you letting me race? Yet another question that had plagued his mind for a while.

Inferno's gaze had once again been drawn to the rear view mirror. He smiled a bit before returning to his casual look. "'Cause your DK's weakness." This made the younger blader smile. "That and you own me a hover board. And you owe me a car." Just after finishing his sentence Inferno rolled down the window while placing an arm on the opening.

He looked out the window just as the bay side blue Nissan Skyline pulled up next to them. This car was also driven from the right side of the vehicle. The person driving it rolled down the window to reveal it was a woman with light grey cyan colored hair. She winked at them before speeding past them at blinding speed.

[She wanna break it down, break it down, break it down, break it down.]

From the look on Inferno's face Masamune could have guessed he had seen that girl somewhere before. He kept his gaze on the bay side blue Skyline then glanced at the passenger seat to see his friend was giving him a nod. A huge smile found its way onto Masamune's face as he reached behind the two seats and twisted a knob attached to two NOS tanks.

A low hissing sound was heard while the LCD screen attached to the dashboard turned on to show the driver how much NOS he had left to use. Keeping in mind he didn't want to waste everything the tanks had Masamune decided to use a third of what was left in the tanks. Flipping up a small cover that was near the emergency break the driver pressed a button that was hidden underneath it to fully activate the NOS system.

Jamming his thumb down on a red button imbedded into the steering wheel he was thrown back into the seat as the car accelerated to two hundred miles an hour. Inferno kept his casual look while they caught up to the bay side blue Nissan Skyline. "I see someone were gonna pass, yeah." As they approached the vehicle Inferno could see that the driver had rolled up her window keeping him from seeing inside. He gave the driver a smile and slight nod knowing she was looking at him through the tinted window.

The two import vehicles raced side by side as they passed a gas station on their way to the Maisonnette nine. Masamune kept his eye out for any other vehicles that might be a danger to them at such a high speed. His attention was drawn to Inferno again when the experienced driver tapped the emergency brake with his index finger. He pulled up on the emergency brake while Masamune began to move the steering wheel as fast as he could to the left.

Screeching tires told the two drivers that the car was beginning to drift to one side. Keeping as calm as he could Masamune could see the street he was aiming for. Exhaling and taking in another breath the self-proclaimed number one blader eased off the gas pedal just enough to allow them to slide onto the next street. When he was sure they were in no danger the blader glanced over his shoulder to see the bay side blue Nissan Skyline had continued going straight.

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Tapping the brake slightly with his foot Masamune looked to his left to see a night club was just about to open. Above the one door entrance was a sign that lit up to say Maisonnette nine, it greeted anyone and everyone nearly a block away from where the blader's were parked at. Leaning back in his seat the self-proclaimed number one blader could see Inferno had some plans for him. "There's a guy in there named Dessie who owes me some money. Go get my money." Nodding to his new employer Masamune opened the door to the import car and slid outside.

From what Inferno had told him he was now working as a courier, which meant he would be picking up and dropping off stuff for him anytime of the day. In Inferno's own words that meant he didn't care if the blader was sick as a dog or in bed with a girl, if he called then the blader better show. Setting foot in front of the night club the self-proclaimed number one blader opened the door wondering where the bouncer was.

Pushing open the door to his orange and black Grotti Cheetah, Inferno stepped out of the vehicle. He leaned against it while smiling at the fact that he forgot to tell Masamune no one under the age of twenty one was allowed inside of the night club. From the blader's appearance anyone could tell he was not twenty one years old. The next thing he saw was Masamune being thrown out of the night club with a large bouncer following him.

Getting the bouncer's attention the elite racer could tell he had annoyed him with the stunt he had just pulled. Rolling his eyes the large man tossed a rolled up wad of money to Inferno who caught it with one hand. Groaning a bit as he stood up the self-proclaimed number one blader walked back over to the import vehicle and slid back into the driver's seat. "That was just for laughs, now can you take me back to my place? I've got something to show you." Wincing in pain the blader gripped the gear stick and moved it into the cars first gear.

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Inferno's place was what some people could call one of the best places to ever live at. It wasn't a mansion, it was better than that. The elite racer had bought a large lounge and loft area that was also a garage all rolled into one. In short it was every car guy, or in some cases every car girl's dream living space. The upper loft area was converted into a living space where people could hang out at while the lower half remained as a large garage. A few rooms were scattered here and there in the upper area giving Inferno plenty of room for company to stay if they needed a place for the night.

The lower half of the garage area was converted into what some people could call a mini auto shop. From on top of the platforms that connected the lofted area together anyone could see the large multiple metal door garage keeping people from walking inside unannounced. Underneath this same platform were three vehicles that were resting underneath a device that had three other vehicles raised above them to maximize storage space. Near the metal staircase that led to the garage portion of the room were several other vehicles that Masamune would love to have one day.

Walking around the garage section of the living space Masamune stumbled upon a blue Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII. Various company stickers and logos were printed along its doors giving the vehicle a very nice looking exterior. "That blue Evo is yours." Inferno called out to Masamune from on top of the upper loft area. He leaned against the guard rail to see the blader was happy with his new vehicle. Then he saw a confused look take the smile on his face.

"What do you mean it's mine?"

Shaking his head and laughing to himself the elite racer pushed himself off of the railing. He walked away and motioned for him to grab a soda. "You're representing me now. What, did you think I was going to let you roll in a Hyundai?" Looking back at his new vehicle Masamune nearly fell over at the sight of such a wonderful ride. He couldn't wait to show his friend this.

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[Everywhere that I go, people know me by the way I flow. I keep it moving in the right direction.]

The night life of Liberty City was almost like another day time to most people that spent it partying. This was true for Monkey who spent most of his weekend nights playing sports with the friends he made throughout the city. On this particular weekend he had gathered some of his drifting friends together so they could play soccer. Set on top of a large building was newly built soccer field that had been made so high up due to there not being enough room anywhere else in the city.

Moving down the field the jumpsuit wearing salesman pulled his foot back and quickly knocked the ball forward sending it towards the goal. The blader got into a bit of a ruckus when one of his friends on the opposite team knocked the ball away from the goal post. They soon began trying to kick the soccer ball away from one another only for Monkey to kick the ball into the post. Monkey's team soon through their hands up shouting goal to celebrate their point, this however ended up making the other team mad.

Getting into his friends face the other blader began saying something about that last shot being a foal. Turning their attention to Han the two bladers thought he could settle their argument. "Han through this guy outta here!" Throwing his hands into the air Monkey could see his friend was trying to get their drifting friend to do the same to him.

[And everyday that's how I'm living, it's alright. Round, Round, get around, knock it around.]

Another rare smile found its way onto Han's face as he reached inside of his cooler to grab something to drink. Looking over the guard rail attached to the patio and was given a bird's eye view of the soccer field below him. He shook his head and pulled out his drink. "What do I look like a zebra?" He looked at his jacket and shirt to make sure they weren't white with black stripes. Taking a drink from his soda can the driver leaned against the railing to see how the soccer game would end.

Footsteps from the metal stairs echoed in his ear causing him to turn around and see Masamune opening the door behind him. Gesturing for the kid to join him the driver turned back around and leaned against the railing. "Inferno told me to give this to you." Closing the door behind him the self-proclaimed number one blader walked over to the guard rail and handed Han a brown envelope. Taking the envelope from the courier he took a look inside.

Nodding his head the driver tossed the envelope into his cooler. Nudging his head to the left he offered Masamune a drink. "No thanks I had a soda before I got here." Gripping the rail with both his hands Masamune leaned against the metal. He could see his only school friend kicking a soccer ball around trying to avoid a few other people. "So Han, how exactly did you end up here anyway?"

Flashing lights from the buildings next to them caught Han's attention. Surrounding the TV that was mounted to the wall next to them were large colorful neon lights that were used to get people's attention. Studying the TV carefully Han could see the commercial for some new western movie coming out during the summer. "Well, know those old Western movies where the cowboys make a run for the boarder? This is my Mexico." Masamune nodded understanding what that felt like. That was the reason he had moved to Liberty City in the first place.

"Why do you think Inferno let me use his car? You both knew I was going to wreak it."

Han chuckled a bit. He shrugged and took a drink from his soda can just before taking a small handful of trail mix out of the bag next to him. "Why not?" Thinking about his question the driver zoned out but zoned back in just in time to hear his friend say something about it being a lot of money. Nodding his head the driver thought about the way Inferno did business. "Inferno has money. Its trust and character that he needs to have around him. You know the people you choose to be around you lets you know who you are."

Point taken. Masamune knew he hung out with a lot of different people, and at this moment he didn't really know what kind of person he was. Yeah, he could take a guess at it but unless he truly thought about it he wouldn't get the answer he was looking for. "And one hover board, along with a ruined interior in exchange for knowing what someone is made of, well Inferno can live with that price. You know, he told me once that he battled someone and that in exchange for that battle he gave that person the parts to build a hover board." Nodding his head Masamune could see that he had indeed found himself someone to look up to. Not just one person to look up to, but two. Just listening to Han gave him a little insight as to what life was about.

Gesturing to the people scrambling up the nearby stairs to reach the subway platform Han got Masamune to turn his attention to them. They could see the people pushing and occasionally shoving others out of their way to reach their train before it departed from the station. "Look at all those people over there. They follow the rules for what? They're letting fear lead them." At that moment Masamune began to think of all the people that he had heard died in this city. Even though they were criminals they didn't let fear push them around. For all he knew they could have had legitimate reasons for stealing the things they stole.

Looking at Han's face the blader could see he was zoned out giving advice that could either be ignored or taken seriously. He watched as his friend tossed some trial mix into his mouth before speaking again. "Life's simple, you make choices and you don't look back." Han looked up to face Masamune who was nodding at this piece of wisdom. This actually gave the blader a lot to think about. For now though, he had one more question to ask.

Reaching into the cooler next to him Masamune pulled out a soda can and pointed at it. Nodding his head the driver looked back at the soccer field to see Monkey running around yelling the word goal over and over again. The two racers shared a few moments of silence before Masamune began to speak again. "So, if you don't drift to win what do you drift for?" A loud pop from the soda can echoed inside of the patio while Han looked over at Masamune.

"You really want to know?" Nodding his head the blader took a drink from his soda can. Glancing at Han's hand he could see the driver was getting his car keys out. "Okay, let's go."

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Gripping the gear stick in his hand the experienced driver slammed it back into a faster gear causing the speedometer to jump from sixty to one hundred miles an hour. Bright street lights reflected off the tinted windows of his Lexus LFA as his car sped down a long empty street. The sports car was spray painted a light grey color with the only exception being the large black spoiler attached to the back of Han's vehicle.

A high pitched engine roared as the vehicle accelerated even faster towards the turn ahead of the two racers. Masamune gripped his soft leather seat when he remembered he had never seen his friends drift before. Ignoring the emergency brake next to him the experienced driver tapped the brake pedal while simultaneously moving the steering wheel so that his car would drift to the left.

From this display of skill Masamune could tell that Han knew a lot about drifting in a car. He could only assume that Inferno had equally astonishing skills with hover boards. Loud screeching tires attracted a few people's attention as the car glided across the turn and onto the next street where another car was stopped facing Han's vehicle. Nudging his head at the car the driver motioned for Masamune to pay attention to his first drifting lesson in a car.

Gripping the gear stick again Han slammed it back into a faster gear while carefully moving his hand onto the emergency brake. This was to make sure his next drift was accurate and precise. Pulling up on the emergency brake the driver began turning the steering wheel so much that his Lexus LFA began to drift circles just mere inches away from the vehicle in front of him. Inside of the car he could see two women keep a close eye on him.

Smoke from the tires began to surround both vehicles as the driver started having his Lexus leave skid marks around his target. Tapping the brake pedal ever few seconds kept the vehicle from sliding away from the two women's car. Moments later Han slammed his foot down on the brake causing his vehicle to stop right next to the passenger side of the two women's vehicle. Smoke surrounding the two sports cars began to vanish as Han stared intently at both women.

Starring right back at Han the two women tried not to look impressed by his skills and instead gave him interested looks. A moment of silence passed between the drivers before the female racer picked up a pen and began writing two sets of numbers down on a piece of paper. Handing the folded paper to the passenger she watched as Han drover up and took the paper before speeding off into the night.

Masamune tried comprehending what he just saw and could only utter a few words before earning a triumphant look from Han. The driver shrugged and pulled back on the gear stick causing his Lexus LFA to accelerate again.

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Throughout Liberty City's four islands there is a connecting route of subway tracks that can take anyone wherever they want to go in the city. This makes it one of the best places to practice drifting since most of the tracks are elevated to avoid the constant traffic that plagues the city roads. While the traffic isn't that bad it still makes it difficult to practice any type of racing skill.

An abandoned yard that used to be used to fix broken subway cars soon became to best place to learn the basics of drifting. Inferno on the other hand, took this as an opportunity to teach Masamune more than just the basics. Connecting to the main subway track was a spiraling track that was used to get subway cars off of the main track and into the abandoned yard. Inferno's own words were that the original drifting skill was developed in the mountains and that people had to learn from doing it.

Masamune's first attempts at drifting had led to him hitting the metal guard rail and nearly falling over the edge. As luck would have it Masamune always found a way to save himself just before completely failing in front of his mentor. Once he began to get the hang of using a hover board to drift the self-proclaimed blader had learned it would be even more of a challenge to make it all the way down the spiraling track.

For what seemed like the hundredth dozen time he had tried this Masamune tilted back and to the side causing his board to begin to drift. Smoke from the hover board trailed behind him as he made it through the first section of the spiral. As he approached the end of the second section Masamune had spun out but immediately recovered just before leaving the spiral.

A smile found its way onto his face when he realized that was the first time he had made it all the way to the bottom without crashing. When he looked over at Inferno he could see the same blank stare he had been giving during every one of their drifting sessions. "Again!" His smile faded after hearing this word. No encouragement to be found anywhere.

Going through the spiral again Masamune had made sure to correct his over steer near the bottom of the track. This caused him to lose a little balance but ensured him a safe and clean exit off of the track. He then looked back at Inferno to see what he had to say. "Again!" Taking in a deep breathe the blader knew this was going to be his life for the next few days. For now it seemed as if he would never hear the end of the word again.

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Before anyone asks, no Han is not a zebra. That would be like asking if Raiden is a rice farmer, when in fact he's a thunder god. Masamune is slowly developing his new racing skills and he's got two of the best people to help him out.

Next Challenge: It's What We Do


	4. Its What We Do

Challenge: It's What We Do

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Over the course of Masamune's drifting lessons the blader had been instructed that he would learn hover board drifting from Inferno. Drifting in a car however, would be learned from Han. This was to save Inferno valuable time so that he could meet with DK about business matters. Now the self-proclaimed blader was standing in front of the plaid jacket racer who was once again eating a bag of trail mix.

Inferno's words had been quite clear to the young blader, and that was to do exactly as Han said while he wasn't around. Han knew this and so did Masamune. From firsthand experience the self-proclaimed number one blader could see that Han was not someone that boasted about his skills. "There's no wax on wax off with drifting. You learn by doing it." As he said this the experienced driver walked around several pipes that were all connected to a large factory a few feet away from them. This location had been chosen specifically to help Masamune learn to drift.

The pipes that ran through the factory also ran outside the building causing problems for workers who had to drive a forklift to get there work done. This was because the pipes made several very sharp turns that were hard to get through without drifting. Han knew this and had picked the location out knowing it would sharpen just about anyone's drifting skills. "The first drifters invented drifting out in the mountains by feeling it. So feel it." A pat on the shoulder was the only real encouragement that Masamune got out of this small pep talk.

Pulling up on the emergency brake like Inferno had showed up caused the blader to skid so far to the left that his blue Evolution crashed into a pile of tires that had been set up to prevent damage to the car. These barriers were set up throughout the entire course that Masamune was told he had to complete by the end of the day. Slamming his fist on his steering wheel he could hear Han shouting something from on top of one of the pipes a few feet in the air. "Again!" Leaning back in his seat the blader cursed at the tough drifting instructor.

Attempting another run down the same section of track the driver eased of the gas just before tapping his brake like Han had done. This time when he got closer to the turn Masamune had gripped the emergency brake and pulled it up a few moments after his car began to skid. He began to smile when he avoided the tires but soon became frustrated when his car turned to one side and came to a stop facing the factory. "Again!" Different mentor, same drifting lessons.

Han had moved from the pipe to the drifting course a little later when he saw Masamune wasn't doing a great job at making it through the first turn. He would toss a small handful of trail mix into his mouth just before seeing the determined blader nearly spin out in front of him. The blader's next few attempts had actually managed to impress the experienced driver. Han had counted several successful attempts at making it through the first turn however that was only the first turn. "Again!" Shouting at the driver again Han could see progress was being made.

With more progress came even more instructions. This had eventually earned Masamune the honor of having Han sit with him while he drifted through the course. "Watch it. Watch it, not too early now." His drifting instructor spoke calmly as they approached the third turn in the course which was followed by a narrow fourth turn. Pulling up on the emergency brake the blader tapped the brake pedal while simultaneously moving the steering wheel to one direction.

This action caused the vehicle to leave a trial of smoke behind as it drift through the third turn. Upon exiting the turn Masamune had to immediately slam the emergency brake back down so that his car would straighten out again. Once the blue Evolution straightened out Masamune tapped the brake while turning his steering wheel in the opposite direction causing his car to drift again. "Go, go, go, go!" Moving the steering wheel back and forth a bit the blader could feel his car doing almost exactly what he needed it to do.

After following through with the forth turn Masamune had managed to successfully drift through next three turns with little to no problems. Two fishermen sitting near the course later smiled at each other saying that the kid's drifting wasn't bad. "Don't lose it! Don't lose it!" A rare smile found its way onto Han's face as Masamune began drifting through every turn with outstanding precision and accuracy. Even the turns the blader hadn't gotten to before were now being completed without any problems.

Eventually it had gotten to the point where Han would just sit back in his seat and let Masamune drift without any instructions. It wasn't that he needed them, but rather he was learning how to drift on his own now. Later that day the self-proclaimed number one blader whooped at his success in completing the course.

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With Han's instruction the blader eventually began to drift without any lessons whatsoever. The experienced driver was happy at this but was a little upset that Inferno had to miss out on seeing their student progress so much. Inferno later returned to the group after having been on a small trip to California, when he arrived he had been greeted to the sight of Masamune drifting in a figure out near one of the docks.

Each instructor had exchanged a few impressed glances that told each other that their work had been finished. Later that day they sat around a small fire while they watched Masamune drift. Joining them was Monkey and a few other friends who were working on their own cars or beys. Monkey was excluded from the list of people working on their cars since he was playing a handheld game.

Loud screeching tires filled everyone's ears while Masamune drifted around a few tires stacked in a tower. He began drifting in a figure eight since that space around them wasn't big enough for an entire course. Slamming on the brake the blader put the gear stick into park before sliding out of his car. "Hey, Monkey I'm gonna grab another set." Gesturing to his worn out tires the blader walked over to the freshly bought ones that had been delivered to them that day.

Pressing a few buttons on the handheld Monkey had almost missed this last comment. Nearly dropping his game on the cement ground the jumpsuit blader frantically jumped over Han's legs which were resting on top of a small table. "Whoa, whoa another set! No. Look that was your third set today. I mean, them tires ain't cheap." Holding his hands up defensively the blader started backing away.

Squealing tires from two other vehicles soon caught everyone's attention. Looking up from the hover board he was working on Inferno could see DK's black Nissan Fair lady 350Z storming around the sharp turn that led people straight to the small group. In the distance he could see the exact same car only in a yellow paint job following right behind. Han took off his black sunglasses after seeing the two vehicles stop next to his Lexus LFA.

Pushing himself out of his seat the experienced driver could see Inferno leaving his hover board. DK walked furiously over to them and nudged Han out of his way with his shoulder. "DK, grab a chair we were just about to roast some marshmallows." His words were clearly unnoticed when the driver grabbed and tossed Masamune down onto the ground. Attempting to separate the two driver's Han was stopped by Deriva who was making sure no one got in the way.

A series of punches and kicks found their way to the self-proclaimed number one's blader's stomach before DK let go of his spikey hair. Groaning in pain he coughed several times before feeling his nose which now had blood covering it. "Stay away from her, or the only thing you'll be driving is a wheel chair. Understood?" His words were threatening and had a look to match. The drift king starred down at Masamune making sure he knew exactly who was in charge around Liberty City.

Seeing this beating take place right in front of his own eyes Inferno decided he had enough of it. Forcibly tossing a rag down on top of his hover board the elite racer walked over to the drifting race and listened to what he had to say. "Find yourself a new driver." Smack. This sentence was followed by a direct kick to the drift king's stomach causing him to fall back slightly.

"Don't ever, do that to my friend again." Speaking in an even more threatening tone the former World Race leader watched as DK stood up and faced him. They starred at each other in silence for a few moments while Deriva tried to attack Inferno.

This action caused the racer to duck down and spring back up with a pistol he had pulled out from his jacket. He made sure to point it directly at the dark blonde's face as a warning. "Inferno, we've been friends and business partners for a long time. Now I'm telling you to find another driver, before you force me to do something I'd rather not." Motioning for his friend to back down DK made sure Deriva wouldn't attack again without his permission.

Sliding his gun back into his jacket the elite racer could see this wouldn't end well for either of them. Nodding his head Inferno knew what he wanted to say. For a long time he had known the outcome of this conversation. "You know, DK. You can threaten me all you want but I'll never be afraid. From the moment I met you I never cared that your father was with the mafia and do you know why?" Monkey began to move away from the group thinking this might turn into a gun fight if Inferno kept edging DK on.

The drift king nodded and could see that his business partner spoke the truth. He could see it in his eyes. Inferno was not afraid of him, not even a little. "It's because I've raced with the best. It's because I've stolen with the worst. And just so you know, you're not them." Nodding his head DK began to question just who these people were. After all he was the drift king and the word king had to mean he was good at something.

His father was even with the mafia, which meant that he was also working with the mafia. Putting those two things together made it seem like he was one of the best racers and one of the worst businessmen. "I might not be the people you talking about, but you better remember that around here I am the boss. I call the shots. The next time you speak that way to me, will be the last time you speak to anyone." Pushing Inferno out of his way the drift king motioned for his friend to follow him. They soon drove off leaving behind an injured Masamune and a damaged friendship between business partners.

Shaking his head the experienced racer could see Inferno had finally given their friend a piece of his mind. While he didn't know specifically who the elite racer had been talking about, he didn't really care. One thing was for sure you never piss off the person that practically runs Liberty City. "What'd you expect?" He looked at Masamune while tossing a small handful of trail mix in his mouth. "You didn't just play with fire you soaked the matches in gasoline."

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Later that evening the small group had gone their separate ways leaving Masamune to attend to his wounds. All it took was a few Band-Aids before the self-proclaimed number one blader was back on his feet. Since his unfortunate beating the determined blader had gone back to Inferno's garage loft space where he began working on his blue Evolution. Using one of the machines on the garage's main floor Masamune had raised his vehicle high enough so that he could check for any problems underneath the car.

Things had begun to quiet down which for Han meant it was time to dig into some food. Grasping a pair of chop sticks in his right hand the experienced driver carefully picked up a medium sized wad of wasabi. Placing the wasabi in a square container he began to mix it up with several other things he could find lying around on the plates in front of him. With sushi being his only real option Han was limited to what he could use. "You want some sushi with that wasabi?" Monkey caught Han's attention the moment he uttered a sound.

An evil yet smug look appeared on the drivers face while he slid the wasabi over to his friend. Setting down the tools he used to fix beys the blader could see where this was going. "Come on, Monkey, you're Thor, have a little bit." Han would say this after seeing the Thor mobile several times. Shaking his head the jumpsuit blader pushed it away.

He gave Han a stern looking by only got a smug look in return. "What, I look stupid to you?" Nodding his head Han tried not to smile at this comment. That told Monkey a lot about what Han thought of him. "No." Clanking metal caused the jumpsuit blader to look over the guard rail. Inferno paid the drivers little attention as he was looking a photo of someone special to him that had passed away.

Seeing an idea begin to form in Monkey's head Han looked over the railing to see Masamune focusing on a problem with the bottom of his car. That was when he realized what his friend had in mind. Handing the wasabi plate over to Monkey the experienced driver kept an eye on him while he stood up from the table. Keeping the plate held firmly in his hands Monkey cautiously walked down the metal stairs.

Clanking metal echoed inside of the garage again while Monkey got his friends attention. "Hey, man, why don't you take a little break? Snack time." Looking down from the blue Evolution's parts Masamune could see a plate of, what looked like green ice cream, sitting down on top of his tools. Cautiously eyeing the food he glanced up at Monkey. "Got uh, two hundred bucks if you can eat this." That caused some suspicion.

Grabbing the plate of wasabi in one hand Masamune brought it up to his face. He examined it carefully. "What is it?" The blader began to ponder what his friend was trying to pull. Some practical joke perhaps.

A competitive look found its way onto Monkey's face while Masamune continued to examine the food. "For hundred dollars." Almost an identical smug look like the one Han had given Monkey replaced the blader's competitive look. Nodding his head the self-proclaimed number one blader grasped the chop sticks with his left hand.

Lifting the wasabi into his mouth Masamune ate it all with one bite. Chewing it a bit in his mouth he thought something was wrong with it but swallowed anyway. Seeing his friend eat the wasabi in one bite caused Monkey to look up at Han. They exchanged looks that said they couldn't believe he was eating it. Moving his tongue around his mouth a bit the new drift racer scratched his nose. Opening his mouth again Masamune stuck out his tongue to show he had eaten the entire thing.

Smacking lips echoed inside of the quiet garage. Looking around at the empty space Masamune shrugged and handed the plate back to Monkey. "Raised on habanero peppers, bro. Pistachio ice cream ain't gonna cut it." Clapping both hands together Han began to laugh while shouting for the jumpsuit blader to pay up. Telling the experienced driver to shut up Monkey handed his friend four hundred dollars for eating the wasabi.

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DK sat at his desk that night going over all of the money he had taken from the people that were on his father's territory in Liberty City. His eyes carefully went over a few different things that had been added to the log book earlier that day. The newest page had all of their earning down on it along with how much his business partners received for helping him set up deals. Every so often his mind would go back to the race his friend Deriva had against Masamune. In his words it was a disappointing race.

Inferno had been somewhere else during the race but made sure that Han was there to collect the car. His friend had ended up costing him the Toyota Corolla he had bet the elite racer during their Blackjack night. This had caused some irritation for DK since he hated to see someone racing for him lose to a beginner.

Now he sat in front of his desk and log book which were located just behind the Blackjack billiard table. His eyes wondered up to a small picture of his uncle. A sigh escaped his mouth just before his attention was drawn to a loud thud. Shifting his sights to the door he could see his blonde haired friend holding it open for someone. Opening his mouth to say something the Drift King immediately closed it when he saw who it was.

Walking into the room was an elderly man near what appeared to be his fifties who wore a tan suit with a fur coat to keep him warm. Tipping his fedora hat to the person holding the door open he waited until it slammed shut before continuing his walk. Clanking sounds echoed inside the small storage room every time the man's cane hit the ground after each step. "Father, I was just about to go see you." Pushing himself out of his seat the Drift King immediately offered his relative the boss's chair. A smile found its way onto the older man's face.

He straightened his tie. Reaching a hand out the elder man shook his son's hand and pulled him into a tight hug. "Have you been well?" Releasing his son from his tight grip the older man slowly walked over to the desk at the back of the room. Clanks could be heard from his cane just before he sat down in the leather chair.

Giving his father a nod the drift king walked over to the Blackjack billiard table sitting not too far away from the desk. Moving behind the table he grabbed a picture of a classic car that had been hung on the wall and took it down. Once the picture had been moved a small wall safe was revealed to be behind it. "Here's last week's take." Muttering this to the older man DK began twisting the dial attached to the metal box.

It was spun in a few different directions but the dial was eventually stopped. Pulling back on the handle DK could hear a low thud echo from inside the same. He carefully opened the safe and reached inside to grab the stack of money that Inferno had given him. "Business good?" His father spoke in what most people would have guessed as a monotone voice. However DK knew when his father spoke like this he meant business, or at the very least had something important to say.

Nodding to his father the drift king closed the safe behind him before walking over to the desk. A low creaking sound echoed inside the room just as the safe closed shut. Setting the money down on top of his desk DK cautiously slid the log book in front of his father. A sigh escaped the elder man's mouth while he carefully opened the log book. "To tell you the truth," he flipped to one of the last entries in the book. "I look over these printouts of yours and I don't understand half of what I'm looking at." A small grin found its way onto the man's face as he began to laugh.

Returning the grin DK could see that even his father didn't know as much as his uncle did about the business world. To be more specific it was mostly the parts dealing with money. "It looks more complicated than it is." The smile on his father's face faded fast.

Tapping the page with his index finger the well-dressed man looked up at his son. He flipped to most current log entry and tapped it with his finger. His eyes were soon starring into his sons. "Then how is it even I am able to figure out that your partner is stealing from us?" DK could feel a lump of uneasiness beginning to form in his throat. His lips began to shake as he tried to say something. No words came out.

Reaching over the desk he pulled the log book over to his side of the desk. "Even if that were true it couldn't have been much, father. I would've caught it." His mind was now being torn between his father's judging eyes and the anger he felt to his only real business partner. DK soon began to hesitate not knowing what to say next.

The elder man looked down at the photo of his brother. His hat now covered his eyes keeping the drift king from seeing what mystery they hid. Slowly reaching towards the photo the older man picked it up. He held it close to his face while shaking his head. "I miss your uncle. At least he knew who to trust." Setting the photo down the well-dressed man stood up and walked towards the door leaving his son to deal with whatever problems he now had.

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Later that evening Masamune had finally finished working on all the problems his car was having. Thanks to Han's help he managed to understand a bit more about vehicles and even learned some new insight to building a strong bey. His car had been moved near the metal stair way so Inferno could work on his own vehicles.

A long moment of silence had fallen over the group when the elite racer had started working on one of the cars he kept inside for show. From what Masamune could see there were problems with some parts underneath the vehicle, although this was made obvious with a machine holding the car up. He took a drink from a small cup while Monkey began dealing out cards to him and Han. Low high pitched engine noises soon began echoing outside. The three friends looked at each other and then shifted their sights to the garage door that was open.

Noticing these noises himself Inferno looked away from his vehicle. Grabbing a nearby rag he began to clean the wrench he was holding. He kept a close eye on the two vehicles that were pulling up to his garage. They were both Nissan 350Zs. One of them was colored yellow and parked halfway into the garage area while the other parked outside. Moments later DK kicked open his door and began to walk past Deriva's vehicle. From the look on the drift king's face Inferno could tell something was wrong.

He carefully looked up at Masamune to see that he himself had a look of wonder on his face. From that look alone he knew that it wasn't something about his friend. Tossing his rag and wrench down on top of a tool box Inferno walked away from his current project. "Hey brother." Smack. The next thing Inferno felt was a fist being smacked into his face. He placed both hands on Masamune's blue Evolution to keep his balance.

A thud echoed inside the room just as Inferno's body hit the blue vehicle. "I vouched for you!" Inferno's vision was slightly blurred now causing him to blink a few times. As his vision returned to normal he was ripped away from the vehicle and shoved back a few steps. "Put my reputation on the line for you! We were partners!" Han slowly walked down the stairs and saw DK shove his friend again. Grabbing the flaps of the racer's unzipped team jacket DK gripped it tightly making sure his partner couldn't walk away.

"You think you can keep your side deals from me?"

With everything he had been through in the past few days Inferno was not in the mood for this conversation. Tearing his friend's hands from his jacket he violently shoved him away to put some distance between them. "Come on. We ain't in the Boy Scouts. This is what we do." Clanking metal echoed inside of the room causing DK to look up and see Masamune staring at them. Blistering fury now replaced the anger he had been feeling earlier. Reaching into his pocket the drift king pulled out a pistol and cocked it. He held it inches away from Inferno's still calm face.

Seeing the gun pointed at his friend made Masamune walk down the steps to join Han. He set foot onto the garage area and was shoved by Deriva who was more than ready to settle the score with him. Han shoved the two bladers back while trying to keep as quiet as he could. Placing his arms in front of both bladers he made sure neither of them did anything stupid while Inferno was being threatened. Looking up at Monkey he exchanged a look that told him to find help.

"What about now? Hmm? Is this what we do?"

Inferno stared down the barrel of DK's gun and smiled slightly. He chuckled slightly and straightened his jacket so that the number twenty two was visible. "Man you need me." Point taken. Everything Inferno ever told the drift king had been true. He had seen people, meet people, even stole with people that had more experience than he was right now. "You'd still be shaking down doll houses for chump change if it wasn't for me." Cautiously looking at DK's trigger finger he could see his friend was hesitating. Han eventually shouted something to both of them but the words were drowned out by the sound of the garage door closing fast.

In the midst of this distraction Inferno knocked the gun out of DK's hand and punched him as hard as he could knocking him to the ground. A loud thud echoed inside the room as one of the garage doors came crashing down on top of the yellow Nissan that had been parked halfway inside the garage. It stopped in place while all the other doors slammed shut against the ground. Sprinting towards the metal stairs the elite racer managed to push Deriva into some tires before making his escape.

As he stepped onto the lounge loft area of his garage Inferno could see his phone lying on top of the coffee table. With no time to retrieve it he bolted through one of the doors that led outside. Just before leaving he heard Han shout at Masamune to get into a vehicle. Shoving the door open the former crew member grabbed a guard rail and jumped over it. He landed on top of his orange Grotti Cheetah which had been parked outside. Sliding off the car he pulled open the door and sat in the driver's seat. Turning the key that was inside the ignition slot he instinctively slammed on the gas pedal causing his car to accelerate away from his pursuers.

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High pitched engines revved outside the garage as Masamune came to a stop near the edge of the junk yard that Inferno had escaped out of. Looking around for the source of these revs the blader eventually saw his friend slow down and pass in front of him. Stepping on the gas pedal he made his car accelerate on top the busy streets ahead of them.

Han sat in the passenger seat and looked into the rear view mirror every few moments to see if they were being followed. Frantically looking around for some sort of weapon the experienced driver found no such item. Groaning a bit he looked back into the rear view mirror to see two Nissan 350Zs drifting onto the road they were escaping on.

Tapping his brake pedal the elite racer began turning his steering wheel causing his Grotti Cheetah to drift onto the main highway. Looking at the LCD screen attached to the dash board he could see all of the possible routes he could take to get off of Liberty City's second island. With his mind made up Inferno moved his left hand from the steering wheel to a device under his LCD screen. Hitting a button on it caused the device to activate. Soon enough he was hearing the whereabouts of all LCPD units in the area.

[All cars warning, two cars are currently racing with a Grotti Cheetah.]

Accelerating even more the two 350Zs began performing mini drifts around cars not going as fast as they were. Smoke from the tires blew into people's windshields causing some of them to stop immediately. The sounds from all four engines caught the attention of everyone walking down the street. People exchanged worried glances when they saw the vehicles drifting in and out of oncoming traffic putting people's lives in danger.

While keeping his eyes locked on Masamune's blue Evolution, the owner of the yellow 350Z moved his hand down to the cars gear shifter. Gripping it in his hand the blader slammed the gear stick into the vehicles next gear causing it to accelerate even more. Pushing the gas pedal down as far as he could Deriva could see that he was slowly catching up to Masamune. Inch by inch his vehicle slowly made its way to the passenger's seat. Yelling at the top of his lungs he jerked the steering wheel to his left causing his car to ram Masamune's.

Nearly losing his grip on the steering wheel the self-proclaimed number one blader felt another forceful jerk. Han frantically looked around for a weapon again hoping to find something to use and retaliate with. The blue Evolution was slammed again causing Masamune to nearly drive into another vehicle going the opposite direction. Reacting as fast as he could Han moved the steering wheel to the left just before Masamune hit a car heading straight for them. In the rear view mirror he could see Deriva moving towards the right.

Slamming his gear stick into his cars fourth gear DK soon began to catch up with the others just in time to see his friend have a head on collision with another car. His car sped by the ruined vehicle while he watched an SUV skid right into the driver's seat. At this point the drift king was beyond blistering fury, he was now ready to get even. Being even to him meant one thing, Inferno must die. Gripping the gear stick in his right hand DK slammed it into the cars second to last gear.

High pitched engines echoed throughout the city as the orange Grotti Cheetah and blue Evolution drifted past a nearby construction site. Cars honked at the drivers as they were left behind. Inferno shifted into his sports car's next gear causing a low humming sound to erupt from the rotary engine inside. Accelerating a bit more the vehicle drove underneath a bridge while reports involving three cars in a high speed chase were being told through the police scanner.

[The race is heading towards the Libertonian.]

With his heart beating even faster now the self-proclaimed number one blader could hear Han saying something to him. Shaking his head he looked at the experienced driver to see he was talking about DK. Just before he could say anything the blader felt his car being hit again. This time the attacker was none other than the drift king himself. Tapping the brake pedal like Han had once done the blader began moving his steering wheel. His car drifted past another vehicle in front of him while he saw parts fall off his own car. If this kept up he knew it would only be a matter of time before there weren't any parts left to knock off.

Hearing the sound of clanking metal over his high pitched rotary engine Inferno looked up at his rear view mirror to see a black Nissan 350Z ramming into a blue Evolution. Gripping the gear stick in his hand the elite racer pulled the stick back to shift his car into a slower gear. Stepping on the brake pedal slightly he caused the sports car to slow down just enough so that he was now in front of DK's vehicle. Looking out his window Inferno could see Masamune driving away from the fight.

Seeing the orange Grotti Cheetah just a few inches away from him caused DK to switch his target. Slamming his vehicle's gear stick into the cars last gear he knew exactly what he was going to do. Drifting past another car the drift king could see nearby people pointing and screaming at the danger they were putting everyone into.

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Smoke filled the air as the three vehicles drifted through a large crowd of people that had managed to scramble out of their way just in time. Tires squealed as the vehicles sped onto a new road leading them towards a gas station not too far away from where they were now. Just as the Grotti Cheetah began to leave the large turn DK managed to drift close enough to the vehicle that he was within shooting range. Pulling up on his emergency brake DK simultaneously spun the steering wheel around causing his 350Z to spin around and face the Grotti Cheetah head on.

[The Grotti Cheetah is approaching the intersection.]

Rolling his window down the drift king pointed the pistol at Inferno's car. A loud cracking sound erupted from the weapon causing a large crack to form on the sports car's windshield. Out of the corner of DK's eye he could see Masamune being T-boned by another vehicle. From what he could see it looked as if the rear axle had been ripped off leaving the car useless.

Groaning slightly as another bullet pierced his window Inferno moved his head closer to his steering wheel. Frantically slamming the gear stick into any gear he could find the elite racer watched as his car accelerated from ninety to one hundred and twenty miles an hour. Sitting back up in his seat Inferno sped forward and knocked the black Nissan 350Z away from him causing the car to spin out. Another loud cracking sound went through the air.

Gripping the gear shifter in his left hand Inferno began to shift into another gear. Time seemed to slow down as loud shattering glass filled his ears just before his vision was blurred. His car began to roll uncontrollably just before colliding with a few gas pumps at a gas station. Hitting the passenger seat hard he became dazed. Slow pants escaped his mouth while he tried to figure out what had happened.

From the corner of his eye he could see another damaged vehicle that he knew had hit him. His right eye closed shut when he felt something dripping on him. Coughing a bit as he moved his hand over to the liquid he could see someone walking over to him. Moving his hand back over to his left eye he could see it was a mixture of his own blood and something clear. That was when he saw a fire being created inside of his vehicles engine, and then he knew it was gasoline that was dripping around him.

Panting faster now he could feel his heart beating even more as he frantically looked around for help. Coughing even more violently he looked out his broken window to see a man walking by. "I need h-help." He began coughing again and saw the man was on a phone. Moments later his only help walked away just as the fire ignited the liquid and flammable gasoline around the area. Time resumed its normal flow when the next thing everyone saw and heard was the eruption of an inferno.

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There are some events that take place between chapters, the only real thing was that Masamune won a race against Deriva and Inferno was gone for a short amount of time. Let us all have a moment of silence for one of the only characters that has been in all three of my current stories. That's right, if anyone has been keeping track he has been in "Heist Mission, Liberty City Drift, The Fast and Furious." Thus ends the life of a racer, blader, criminal, and millionaire.

Next Challenge: An Old Friend


	5. An Old Friend

Challenge: An Old Friend

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It was cold that night. After being so close to the explosion Masamune felt as if his eye brows had been burned clean off. Lucky for him they weren't. The memories of Inferno's specially made car going up in flames played through his mind over and over again. He leaned back against a wooden lamppost while the light attached to it flickered on and off every few moments.

Han had fled with him into the train station after everything had gone down between the business partners and unlucky soul that had run into their friend. They each took a different train heading to completely opposite sides of the city. Masamune guessed that by now the experienced driver was someplace near Firefly Island or possibly already getting a plane ticket for Los Santos.

He let out a slow breath he had been holding for a while. Reaching into his pocket the self-proclaimed number one blader felt around for something metal. Once he found it, he pulled it out of his pocket. In his hand he held Blitz Striker which had undergone a few modifications since his first battle with the drift king. Now his bey was completely unique, his performance tip and spin track were special parts they had gotten from around the racing hang out. "You alright man?" He was jolted from his thoughts.

Somehow Monkey had gotten the drop on him while he had been deeply wrapped up in his thoughts. The jumpsuit blader had managed to pull up nearly a foot away from Masamune in his Thor mobile without even alerting him once. Masamune looked at him and shook his head giving him the signal that he wasn't sure what to feel right now. "We're leaving this part of the city. I know some people that can get us a place near Firefly Island, if that isn't good enough then I can get us a place near this old factory." Normally Masamune would have cracked a smile at Monkey's many contacts throughout the city, but not this time.

"I can't do it Monkey."

There was no emotion in Masamune's voice. All he could do at the moment was stare off into space reliving the horrifying death of his close friend and mentor. Monkey realized this and shook his head. "Look, man, DK wants your head. The trouble you just made for his father isn't going to go unnoticed either. You're done here bro." A low clinking sound echoed from the blader's hands when he pushed his palms together. Masamune looked down to see he was holding the keys to the Thor mobile.

What Monkey said about the drift kings father was true. DK and him had both caused a lot of problems for the man, not just that they also caused the death of someone that most likely could have lived if under better conditions. Nodding his head the self-proclaimed number one blader stared into Monkey's eyes. "Maybe I should talk to DK's father then. DK answers to him so if settle some agreement with his father he'll have no choice but to listen." Opening his mouth to say something Monkey was immediately silence by Masamune holding his hand up. At the moment he really didn't want to hear how stupid this idea was because right now it was his only option besides leaving.

"What are you crazy, huh? Look Inferno is dead! Han is nowhere to be found, and anyone that even knew them is either long gone or dead! Plus you can't just walk into the Mafia's place man!"

Every word burned into Masamune's logic. Monkey was right about everything. The self-proclaimed number one blader didn't know anyone that could help him right now. Whoever Inferno had been talking about earlier that day was most likely dead, most people that stole from others ended up that way. From the look on Masamune's face Monkey knew he wasn't going to change his mind. "Something I think Han and Inferno would have wanted you to have." This caught Masamune's attention.

Looking up and turning his attention away from the street the self-proclaimed number one blader could see his friend was opening the back of the Thor mobile. He watched while Monkey reached up and pulled a tool out from a secret compartment near the doors inside handle. Pushing himself off of the wooden post he ignored the flickering light while he listened to the jumpsuit blader mumble to himself.

Feeling around for something near one of his cars seemingly built in speakers Monkey could tell without even looking at Masamune's face that he was surprised to see what happened next. Upon finding a weak spot in his speaker the jumpsuit salesman used the tool to pop the speaker out of place. A small hole was left in its place while Monkey reached inside. Moments later he pulled a large brown bag out that seemed to be somewhat heavy. Fumbling with the bag for a moment the blader eventually pulled it out and shoved it into his friends open hands.

Masamune looked at it for a moment then gave the salesman a look that asked what it was for. From the look on Monkey's face he could tell it was something very important. "You're going to need it if you're going to walk away from DK's father alive." A brief smile found its way onto Monkey's face when Masamune reached inside the bag. He began feeling around for something but could only feel paper. Grabbing hold of the paper he pulled it out to find the bag was actually filled with wads of cash. Looking up to meet his friends gaze he couldn't believe what he was seeing, moving the bag back to the jumpsuit sales man earned him a laugh.

"Don't worry about it, man, I'll figure things out without it."

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Dim neon lights attached to the sides of buildings lit the way while Masamune cautiously walked down the alleyway leading to a small bar that was considered a hole in the wall. Smoke was blasted into his face just as he walked over a few pipes near an AC unit. Waving his hand in front of his face the self-proclaimed number one blader stopped in his tracks when he saw a few people leaving their positions along the wall. He could see some people holding guns while others held baseball bats, golf clubs, even a chain that was swung around in small circles.

Was he nervous? In his own words Masamune would have to say hell yes he was scared. What he found rather odd was that even though he was nervous he also felt more courageous then he had felt in his entire life. Taking in a small amount of air the self-proclaimed number one blader walked past them but made sure to acknowledge their presence. He could hear the chain's clinking sound every time it managed to complete a full swing.

As he walked further down the alleyway he could see dozens of other people looking at him all armed to their teeth with weapons that could seriously injure even the most protect person in the city. Approaching the entrance to the bar he could see three guards standing in front of the wooden door. "I'd like to see the drift kings father, please." The men starred at him for a moment. They ripped the brown bag from his hands and peered inside of it. Only a moment passed before the man holding the bag handed it back to Masamune. He motioned for him to step inside.

The door was pulled open and the men that had been walking behind Masamune returned to their posts. Glad they were off his back the self-proclaimed number one blader slowly and cautiously stepped inside the bar to see everyone inside stop talking all at once. All the attention was on him now. Taking another step forward Masamune was stopped but none other than the drift king himself. "You came to the wrong place boy." He spoke with a tone that told Masamune he was going to pay for this later.

Placing a hand on DK's shoulder the self-proclaimed number one blader gently pushed the drifting racer to the side. His eyes scanned the few people at the back of the room and stopped once he saw the elder man in the tan suit. He walked past DK showing him that he wasn't here to see him anyway. "Who is your friend, DK?" The elderly man spoke up in his casual business tone. This wasn't something the drift king really wanted to deal with right now, not after the death of his former business partner.

"I have something for you sir."

Attempting to take another step forward Masamune was stopped dead in his tracks by a man wearing a grey suit. Ripping the bag away from him the guard opened it up to see what was inside. He looked up at Masamune for a moment and then turned to his boss. DK's father leaned forward and nodded his head slowly while he smoked a cigar. Smoke was blown out of his mouth just before he spoke. "You think you can walk in here, dump some cash and walk out?" Upon finishing his sentence the businessman folded his arms. He gently tapped his cigar over an ash tray causing some ashes to fall inside.

Glances were exchanged all around the room as everyone kept a close eye on what appeared to be the most important conversation in Liberty City. The self-proclaimed number one blader glanced over at the drift king to see he was ready to choke him to death. Just before opening his mouth to say something Masamune stopped and began to think. Then he realized that the money he had been given was just enough to repay DK's family after Inferno had stolen a large amount.

Licking his lips the blader could see that everyone was waiting to see what fate had in store for him. "I know I'm only returning what belonged to you in the first place, sir. But that's not why I came here." This caused the man to shift in his seat. Unfolding his arms the suited man put his cigar back in his mouth just before blowing more smoke into the air. "I came here to apologize. Your son and I have embarrassed ourselves badly. Sir I've come here to offer a peaceful solution." As he went on the self-proclaimed number one blader was cut off by DK saying something to his father. This earned him a look that said to learn his place in the family business.

People around the room went back to their drinks after seeing this look. They knew when to respect the mafia's privacy. Masamune cautiously looked around at the body guards who were all drawing their weapons out, most of them guns while a few others used baseball bats. "How do you plan, to accomplish that?" He blew smoke again. The elder man crossed his arms again while knocking a few more bits of ashes into his ash tray.

"A race."

Unfolding his arms again the man began to chuckle. He tried smoking his cigar again but found it difficult since he was still laughing. Masamune didn't like this reaction to his challenge but knew it was the only way he could settle things once and for all. "DK, Inferno, and I have caused nothing but trouble for you. For all of us. And I'm asking you to allow us to settle this once and for all. One race and a bey battle, first half of the race will be using hover boards while the second half will be using cars. That way both of us have a chance to settle things on each other's terms. The loser leaves town for good." This was fair for both bladers. Since they were both racers and bladers it seemed only fair to settle things using both methods.

Last time, however, Masamune ended up being in an interrogation room watching his car destroy the interior of a house. The memory of this made him want to smile but he knew this was not the time to do so. "I've already beat this piece of shit once!" Pushing Masamune out of his way the Drift king stood in front of his father trying to convince him not to accept the terms. This earned a glare from the older man.

"Good. Then it should be easy."

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The next day was a frustrating one for Masamune. He was given only a short amount of time to find a new vehicle to race with and so far he was having bad luck finding one. Due to one of the axles being ripped off his blue Evolution the self-proclaimed number one blader was left without a proper racing car. With Han out of the picture his chances began to dwindle down into what seemed like little hope.

Knocking on his dads red door the blader waited patiently hoping that his father could help him. The door swung up and he was greeted with an angry expression. "I'm putting you on a plane in the next few hours. I heard about what happened." Masamune had been expecting this and he already knew this was not the time or place to argue. Keeping his ground the blader slowly began to speak.

The older man leaned against the door frame not wanting to hear any form of back talk but knew it would happen regardless of what he did. "Father, I'm responsible for my own messes. Now I need your help to do this so please listen." Masamune's father froze for a moment. He carefully looked at his son trying to figure out what he was trying to pull. It was in his son's eyes that he saw determination. Folding his arms the man could see Masamune had a serious request. "I need a new car to race with." Point made but not one that would be easy to help with.

The older male slowly inhaled and thought about this. He nodded and could see Masamune gesturing to the stairs. Tilting his head to the side he shrugged and walked over to his son who was beginning to lead him outside. Pushing open the door in front of him the self-proclaimed number one blader pointed to a tow truck that had a car attached to it. This car was the same one that had been damaged during his race with DK, the very same one that Inferno was looking to replace.

Despite having a completely ruined interior the car still held great potential. Masamune's father could see the vehicle and been severely damaged but was wondering why his son even cared for it. Walking around to the front of the vehicle he popped open the hood to see the engine was still in perfect condition. "I'll have my friend bring over that crumpled up beer can of a car over to my garage." A smile found its way onto Masamune's face.

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Hours upon hours had been spent that week trying to fix up an old muscle car with an import vehicles engine. It was highly unethical for a driver to do this to any vehicle but given Masamune's situation there wasn't much else he could have done. Now with the long hours of work past him he now owned a 1967 Ford Mustang along with a new hover board that was made from the other vehicle's ruined metal parts.

It was safe to say the Masamune was ready to rock and roll. He now stood on top of the wooden pier that ran through Firefly Island, a local hot spot for tourists. Night air whipped around him every now and then causing him to shiver slightly, he buttoned up his jacket in hope of keeping warm. Ocean waves crashed along the beach while he looked over at his new hover board. That was when he remembered what Monkey had told him about the race track he would be using.

The drift king has chosen the elevated subway track as their location for racing. This was because he was the only person to drive full speed through it without being hit by a train once. Monkey had given him a look that said not to go through with it but it was useless. Taking in another long breath of air Masamune calmly began to go over the events that had gotten him here. His friends would not believe the stuff he had been through recently.

His attention was torn from the ocean waves when he heard the sound of closing doors behind him. Turning around to face his opponents Masamune could see the drift king stepping out of a limo that also held the person that would be starting their race. He was given another mean look from DK before they both stepped onto their hover boards. Each blader attached their beys to a launcher which they then pointed forward.

An elderly man slowly stepped forward and held his hands high in the air for them both to see. He began counting down from ten while the two bladers exchanged looks that said they would win. Tightening his grip on the launcher Masamune pulled the rip cord out as fast as he could upon hearing the elderly man shout for them to go.

The two bladers were launched forward by the hover boards while their beys took the lead. Not even a few moments went by before they were racing on empty streets with their beys engaging in a furious battle. "Barrage mode!" Shouting at the top of his lungs the self-proclaimed number one blader watched as Striker switched modes just in time to knock DK's bey two blocks away. This caused the opposing racer to slam into Masamune.

He lost his balance rather quickly which caused the spikey haired blader to nearly collide with a metal support beam holding the subway tacks up. Masamune used this added momentum to avoid the metal pillar so he could continue racing down the sidewalk. Switching into a faster gear on his hover board the self-proclaimed number one blader could see a small diner blur past him while he attempted to keep pace with DK.

Further down the street Blitz Striker was suffering a beating of its own. DK's bey was continuously slamming into the attack type bey over and over again without any sign of stopping. If not for the new performance tip and spin track Masamune's bey would have been toast long after the first hit. Switching back to its Assault mode Blitz Striker was quick to knock its opponent into a steel support beam causing it to ricochet onto the next street.

Attempting to keep up with their beys the two bladers drifted to the left and sped past a burned down taxi building. Masamune was able to make out a few words on the billboard sign that looked like it had fallen down a while back, the sign said it was Bellic Enterprises which was the same taxi company he had called when he had first arrived in Liberty City.

Leaning slightly to one side Masamune began to drift to the left again just before racing down a small slope leading to another turn. Looking over at the stone railing above him he watched as two beys flew off of the street and landed somewhere further down the street. Focusing his attention back on the road the self-proclaimed number one blader drifted to the right, while doing so he managed take the inside of the turn. In doing so Masamune was able to pass the drift king while also putting a small amount of distance between them.

This small victory was short lived when he felt someone bump his hover board from behind. Looking over his shoulder he could see DK was trying to spin him out. Jerking his hover board to the left he dodged the drift king's next attack and bumped the back edge of his board. This move sent his opponent into a spinout that he thought would put him in the lead for a while. To his surprise DK used this spinout as a way to grind along a cement sidewalk that was connected to a factory building to his left.

Sparks flew from underneath the hover board and were now being aimed at the self-proclaimed number one blader. He swerved to the right only to lose even more balance when his bey created an explosion just a few feet behind him. In the midst of this loss of balance the blader managed to catch a glimpse of the drift king jumping off the cement he was using as a grinding rail. Moments later he was passed by both DK and his bey.

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During the next few minutes of the race the two bladers had drawn so much attention to themselves that practically everyone in the city was being kept off the streets to watch the battle unfold. It wasn't every day that they got to see two racers drift in and out of the city using both hover boards and cars. The next three miles of the race had brought them up a grassy hill and onto a bridge that connected two of the large islands of Liberty City together along with its smaller island.

The bridge was eventually turned into their battle ground which took them straight to the smaller island where Masamune's school was located on. Large buildings filled the next part of their race leaving little room for error in their attacks. The streets were narrow enough that one missed attack could easily send one of the bladers off in the wrong direction, although since Masamune wasn't familiar with the entire city he was in more danger of getting lost.

Both bladers drifted to the right and sped up again while their beys continued creating explosions and beating the tar out of one another. Slamming into Masamune again the drift king took the lead just before flying up that stairway that lead to their cars. Masamune followed right behind him and caught Blitz Striker in his hand. Moments later he shot out of the stairway and landed on top of a large area of tracks that seemed to be the main connection for the trains.

Closer examination showed that it had been abandoned a long time ago making it the perfect spot to leave their cars during the first half of the race. Pulling open the door to his Mustang the self-proclaimed number one blader tossed his hover board in the backseat while sliding into the driver's seat. Starting up the car he gripped the gear stick and slammed it into drive while hesitating to step on the gas. Slamming his foot down on the gas pedal he caused the vehicle to accelerate forward only to find that DK's Nissan 350Z was already ahead of him.

Small lamps that were attached to the metal guard rail along track began to light up showing the track that both racers would be taking. What Masamune and DK hadn't noticed was that this race was going through all the islands that made up Liberty City. Smoke filled Masamune's windshield just as DK drifted past him and onto the main subway track where the real danger of the race began.

Slamming the gear stick into a faster gear he watched as his car jumped from sixty to one hundred miles an hour. Pushing the gas pedal down even further Masamune began focusing more on the track than his opponent. If he was going to have any chance at beating the drift king he had to focus on all obstacles that stood in his way.

Jerking the steering wheel to the left while simultaneously pushing the gas pedal down even further the self-proclaimed number one blader managed to inch his car far enough forward so that he was racing right next to his opponent. Glancing at DK he could see that his opponent was not going to make this easy, and that was fine with him because he was going to do the same.

Reaching behind his seat Masamune felt around for something. His hand landed on a nob that he quickly began twisting to one side. A low hissing sound soon rang in his ears while he watched a small red button on his steering wheel pop up allowing him one NOS boost for the race. Turning his focus back to the track the blader could see a subway train heading straight for DK.

Determined to keep his spot Masamune began having a fight for the lead position. Every second that went by brought the train closer to them, and once the train got to them the drift king was forced to slam on his brake. He jerked his steering wheel to the left just in time to move behind Masamune and avoid being hit. An angered look soon found its way onto the drifting races face.

Looking into his rear view mirror Masamune managed to catch a glimpse of DK's Nissan 350Z just before it slammed into his rear bumper. Groaning to himself the self-proclaimed number blader kept his eyes locked on his mirrors. Keeping his grip on the steering wheel tight he waited for a few moments before jerking it to the right allowing the drift king to take the lead. It was at the moment he jerked the steering wheel back to the left in order to bump the blader's right rear wheel.

This attempt to spin DK out only failed as they approached a break in the guard rail where the lights formed a turn. They wanted him to jump off of an elevated track. Masamune cursed at DK's twisted course but had to respect it did challenge people. Masamune soon realized the problem with what he had just done. With DK's skill this spin out turned right into the perfect drift that allowed him to practically glide right off the track and onto the street below them.

Letting out a groan the self-proclaimed number one blader ripped the emergency brake on his muscle car up causing to start spinning out. Thanks to Han and Inferno the blader had learned how to deal with this problem. In fact, they taught him how to turn this very problem into a solution. Tapping the gas pedal several times he used the power from the muscle car as an advantage to make his own version of DK's perfect drift. Smoke flew from the tires as he slid right off the edge of the track. Moments later his vehicle hit the ground with a loud thud, soon after this Masamune slammed on the gas.

Turning the steering wheel to the right he managed to speed around the next turn without losing to much momentum. It was then that he saw the drift king only a few feet away from him. A smile found its way onto his face when he slid his thumb over the red button on his steering wheel. Pushing this button down caused his vision to blur immediately while his car jumped up to a speed of two hundred miles an hour.

With each passing moment the self-proclaimed number one blader began closing the distance between him and the drift king. Seeing the next turn being pointed out by more lamps Masamune quickly began figuring out his next move. Pulling up on his emergency brake he jerked his steering wheel in a specific direction. This caused the vehicle to begin to spin out but thanks to his mentors he turned this extra power into a drift that had to be started at just the right distance away.

Smoke trailed behind Masamune as his vehicle managed to power through the turn while completely passing the drift king. Inside the Nissan 350Z the driver couldn't help but watch in awe while he watched Masamune pull of an advanced maneuver that he had only ever seen Inferno use in a race once before. Shaking his head the drifting racer began to focus on the race. Pulling his gear shifter back into a faster gear he watched as his speedometer jumped from one hundred sixty miles an hour to one hundred ninety miles an hour.

Jerking the steering wheel to the left he maneuvered his vehicle right behind Masamune's allowing him to gain even more speed by drafting with him. Glancing back down at his speedometer DK could see he was slowly beginning to match his opponents speed. This angered Masamune a bit.

Attempting to shake his drifting rival off his tail the self-proclaimed number one blader began weaving to the right only to find it was nearly impossible to shake this racer. An idea came to his mind at that moment. Gripping the gear shifter in his hand he down shifted causing his vehicle to rapidly slow down. This move caused DK drift out of the way and slid right into a nearby Grotti Cheetah causing the vehicle to stop completely. Thinking back now this reminded Masamune of how he ran into Inferno's vehicle and ruined it with his bey.

Pushing the gas pedal down again Masamune sped up just before shifting his car back into its previous gear. Tapping the brake pedal he began moving his steering wheel in order to get it to drift to the right. Smoke began forming around the squealing tires just before Masamune straightened out his vehicle. He then moved the steering wheel in the opposite direction in order to drift onto the main highway which served as one of their last straightaways. Out of the corner of his eye the self-proclaimed blader could see DK driving towards him.

From the looks of it he wasn't too pleased with how this race was going. And from the looks of the drift kings car, neither was the vehicle. Masamune could see a ruined paintjob and broken spoiler. Keeping his attention focused on the road he saw that the race now had almost nothing but turns ahead of him which meant DK was now being given a huge advantage since his car was built for drifting.

Moving his steering wheel over to one side the self-proclaimed number one blader started having his car drift to the left in order to make it onto the next part of the road. A loud screeching sound erupted between his vehicle and DK's when the rear bumper of the 350Z scrapped alongside the muscle car. Sparks flew from both vehicles just before the spoiler attached to the import vehicle broke off, as it fell off the vehicle it slammed into Masamune's passenger window causing it to shatter.

Pulling up on his emergency brake again the drift king began having his vehicle drift to the left only to have his vehicle knocked onto the side walk in front of a police station. Jerking his steering wheel back to the left and then to the right he managed to avoid hitting a wooden post along with the stairs leading up to the police station.

Masamune on the other hand sped right past a wooden post and bus station that ripped off one of his rear view mirrors. So much for investing a lot of time in making the car look great. Frantically moving the steering wheel to the right Masamune managed to steer the vehicle back onto the road. Letting out a sigh of relief he glanced into his good rear view mirror to see DK had managed to survive the collision as well.

Several turns later the two vehicles eventually came to a Burger Shot fast food restaurant that served as their last turn. Smoke trialed behind DK as he sped through one of their last turns, this speed allowed him to take the outside of the turn and move right next to Masamune. Jerking his steering wheel to the left he attempted to attack the self-proclaimed number one blader again but missed when Masamune slammed on the brake. His vehicle moved right past it and onto the dirt path to the left of the drivers.

As DK slammed his gear stick into his vehicles last gear he saw a guard rail that was slanted down after having been hit a few times before. Looking to his right he saw Masamune was unknowingly blocking his way. Attempting to slow down his car hit the rail at two hundred miles an hour causing his vehicle to flip over.

Time seemed to slow down for Masamune when he saw the black Nissan 350Z flipping over next to him. He tapped his brake pedal and caused his vehicle to skid to the right while he began frantically turning his steering wheel to the left. Turning his steering wheel in the opposite direction made his vehicle drift to the right just before seeing the Nissan 350Z flip right in front of his windshield. Masamune watched as the vehicle flipped right into the ocean. Time began to resume its normal flow after Masamune sped past the finish line where everyone was waiting to see who won.

Pulling his emergency brake up the self-proclaimed number one blader skidded to a stop kidding up a small amount of sand in the process. The few friends he had made at school began cheering for him as well as his friends from New York City. He was surprised to see them their but then realized that Han had something to do with it.

Kicking up the door to his car Masamune slowly slid out and gave his best friends a hug for coming to see him race. That was when he stopped and looked over at the over turned car sitting slightly submerged in the shallow ocean water. He turned away from his friends and ran over to the vehicle.

Water splashed around the blader as he looked into the vehicle to see if DK was still breathing. Several waves hit Masamune in the face before he reached inside the vehicle and unbuckled the drift king from his seat. Several moments passed before the drifting racer crawled out of the car soaking wet from the ocean water. He pushed himself up and refused to shake Masamune's hand, he instead gave him a look that said they would see each other again someday.

Giving him a nod Masamune walked back over to his friends with DK following him. They stood in front of the former drift kings father and looked at each other. The suited man eyed both racers and blew a puff of smoke at both of them. He took in a deep breath and exhaled. "You are free to go." DK turned to face his father's judgment and was escorted to the car by one of the guards. The elderly man walked over to the car and paid the blader little to no attention.

Several minutes later the vehicle drove off leaving Masamune with his friend who tackled him into the sand. He had to admit he didn't see his evening being this fun but now that it was over he was ready to get back to doing the one thing he now liked as much as bey blading. Racing in the parking garage hangout.

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[I wonder if you know. How they live in Tokyo. If you see me then you mean it. Then you know you have to go. Fast and Furious. Tick. Tick. Tick.]

Tonight was unlike any other night inside the parking garage hang out. New racers and bladers from all over the city had gathered around to hang out tonight. They brought all sorts of bey parts, cars, and even models with them. Everyone sitting around the hangout was either having a bey battle or just getting ready to start a race.

Even Han Sul-Oh had returned for a while to see how things had changed inside the parking garage. He looked around the different floors to see Toby and Zeo trying to flirt with two girls while King was busy challenging someone to a battle. That earned one of his rare smiles. Looking around the other floors he saw Monkey trying to sell more candy and other various food items to people who were in need of something to eat.

[Fast and Furious. Tick. Tick. Tick.]

The music playing eventually faded into a person rapping in a different language while several people danced together near some very nice imported cars. Each vehicle was designed to stand out in the crowd but the one that stood out amongst the crowd as a grey Hammer Plymouth Road Runner with no driver next to it. After searching around a bit he eventually found out he needed to speak with Masamune.

Pushing his way through the crowd Han passed a Nissan Silvia S15 with a Rock Star Energy drink design on it. He had to admit it was a nice looking car that even he would drive if the owner would sell it. "Masamune, hey Masamune." Gesturing to his friend the experienced driver managed to make it over to the blader's Mustang. The self-proclaimed number one blader turned his attention away from his new girlfriend and leaned against the side of the car. "Some girl over here wants to race the new Drift King of Liberty City. I heard she's been beating everyone around the Dominican Republic, and most of Mexico." This earned a smile from Masamune. His reputation was already growing.

"Not tonight Han."

Opening a new bag of trail mix the experienced driver thought about what the girl had said to him. He grabbed a small hand full of trail mix and tossed it into his mouth. "She said she knew Inferno, she said he was family." This caused everyone in the group to pause and look at the mentor. Masamune looked at his mentor for a moment and then licked his lips. He hesitated with his answer while he looked at each one of his friends. Eventually he looked at his girlfriend who gave him a nod along with a smile. She wanted to see just who would challenge the new Drift King after he earned his title not that long ago.

"Alright, let's race."

Moments later a newly repaired hover board hummed loudly while Masamune slowly flew over to where his competition was at. A group of five models walked past the blader with their heels clacking after each step, but this didn't distract Masamune at all. No, it was the loud Spanish Music playing.

[Aunque digan que soy, un bandolero donde voy, le doy gracias a dios por hoy estar y voy a sequir con mi tombao y con mi ojos colorao con mis gatos activo ustedes to me lo han dao.]

The Spanish music playing seemed to echo from every car in the parking garage hangout as if they had all been hacked by someone. As the spikey haired blader slowly hovered over to the starting line he could see a few models sitting on various cars while people around the challenger all cheered for her. It was if the song represented her in some way that he couldn't explain.

[ Y Aunque digan que soy, un bandolero donde voy, le doy gracias a dios por hoy estar y voy a sequir con mi tombao y con mi ojos colorao con mis gatos activo ustedes to me lo han dao.]

Turning slightly to the left he began hovering right next to her and saw the girl was standing on a greyed out hover board that had a large muffler attached to its two sides. The board itself looked like a compressed version of a 1970 Plymouth Road Runner. As he looked turned his attention away from the hover board he came face to face with a girl that had long light brown hair. She wore a sleeveless zipped up white jacket with a blue shirt underneath along with a pair of light blue pants to complete the outfit.

From what it looked like she was roughly twenties years of age, maybe slightly older. Tearing his attention away from her ocean blue eyes was harder than he thought. "Nice ride." He nudged his head in her direction as a gesture to her hover board. That was when he noticed a Hammer Road Runner a few dozen feet away from her.

The girl kept a straight face and nodded to him. She looked down at her hover board and gave him a brief history lesson about it. "I won it from our friend Inferno a few years ago." That was a bit strange to hear. As far as Masamune knew his friend and mentor Inferno really liked Import vehicles, which he noticed was also the mentors preferred hover board.

Masamune licked his lips and looked down at the hover board again. It was heavily based on an American muscle vehicle, that much was certain. "I didn't know he was into America muscle." This retort didn't make the girl change her expression. She instead seemed to lighten up a little.

Out of the corner of his eyes Masamune could see Han leaning against a vehicle that was right next to the Hammer Road Runner. For whatever reason he couldn't figure out why his other mentor wouldn't lean on the muscle car, then again Han did things for his own reasons. "He was he was rolling with my crew." At the time Masamune had no idea he had just been given a history lesson from five years ago.

Nodding his head the blader smiled at her while looking at both the vehicle and hover board. This was a drifting race and the types of transportation she had brought to this race were designed for fast ten second races. In other words she was ready for a drag race and nothing else. "You know this ain't no ten second race?" This made the girl give him what he assumed was a rare smile just like Hans. She nodded at him.

Seeming even more relaxed than before the light brown haired girl reached into her pocket and retrieved her bey which Masamune couldn't figure what type it was. This was because it was designed from car parts. "I've got nothing but time." She attached the bey to her launcher and let her hover board give out a loud roar to show everyone that she was using a vehicles engine as its power source. "You ready kid?" A grin replaced the girls smile while she looked into the bladers eyes. He smiled and her and nodded.

Taking positions in front of the two racers were each of Masamune's friends. The self-proclaimed king of bey blading stood in front of them while Toby and Zeo stood at each end of the side lines. King pointed once at Toby who shouted at the top of his lungs for them to get ready. He then pointed at Zeo who shouted at the top of his lungs for them to get set. During the midst of this countdown all of Masamune's school friends were cheering him on while telling he could do this.

The blader's newly repaired hover board let out a high pitch humming sound that was beginning to get everyone pumped. This sound was immediately drowned out by the roar of the girl's engine power hover board. It was like Masamune was about to race a monster. Large flames from both mufflers began spitting out towards the crowd as a sign of them to back away. King soon stepped forward and brought his hands down shouting at the top of his lungs for the racers to go. Moments later the two hover boards accelerated passed the friends for the next Drift King, or Queen to be decided.

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I am proud to say that this Re-write is finished. Compared to the first time I wrote this story I'd like to think this is way better than before. I really enjoyed writing the ending and with that I hope you all enjoyed this story.


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